Session: 16-01-01 Offshore Wind Energy and Renewables

Submission Number: 178944

Blade-Resolved CFD Investigation of the IEA 15 MW Offshore WindTurbine: Rotor-Only and Tower-Influence Analysis 

As wind energy technology advances toward larger-scale systems, such as the 15 MW reference wind turbines, high-fidelity numerical simulations become essential tools for predicting system performance, efficiency, and structural reliability at full-scale operating conditions. In this context, blade-resolved computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations provide critical insights into the unsteady aerodynamic behavior of wind turbine rotors and wakes. Building upon previous studies conducted for the NREL 5 MW turbine, this work presents full-scale CFD simulations for the IEA 15 MW offshore reference wind turbine, focusing on solver configuration and numerical setup. Two simulation stages are explored: initially, rotor-only simulations are conducted with a temporal discretization sensitivity analysis; subsequently, the influence of the tower is included in the blade-resolved domain. Results are analyzed in terms of power output, thrust, and aerodynamic loading along the blade span, and are benchmarked against OpenFAST simulations under identical operating conditions. The comparison highlights agreements and discrepancies between high-fidelity CFD and lower-order models, emphasizing the added value of resolving detailed flow structures. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of large wind turbine aerodynamics. The computational methodology employed in this work can be extended to support the design optimization of next-generation offshore wind turbines and to inform aeroelastic simulations under realistic operating conditions.

Presenting Author: Marielle De Oliveira University of Massachusetts Boston

Presenting Author Biography: Marielle de Oliveira is an Aerospace Engineer from the Federal University of Santa Catarina, with a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of São Paulo, including a sandwich period at the University of Tokyo. She is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Massachusetts Boston, School for the Environment, where she develops research in offshore wind and clean energy.

Authors:

Marielle De Oliveira University of Massachusetts Boston
Rodolfo Puraca University of Sao Paulo
Bruno Carmo University of Sao Paulo