An Open-Source NuMAD Model for the IEA 15 MW Blade with Baseline Structural Analysis

Open-source reference models are highly informative and valuable for advancing wind energy technology as usage of these models by the research community enables opportunities for innovation of new designs and technology solutions. This work details an open-source reference model created with the Numerical Manufacturing and Design (NuMAD) tool of the International Energy Agency (IEA) 15 MW open-source reference wind turbine blade, and documents the detailed blade structure and baseline structural performance. NuMAD is a widely used tool in blade design, and this work provides one more resource for the wind energy community. Detailed high-fidelity structural analyses (modal, deflection, strength, fatigue, buckling, and aero-elastic stability) are performed using the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) IEA 15 MW blade model following international design standards of blade design to baseline the blade structural performance. We provide a detailed description of important assumptions of Wind-Plant Integrated System Design and Engineering Model (WISDEM) and NuMAD, which are two different blade modeling tools, that were used to create the blade in NuMAD format based on the original IEA 15 MW blade design specifications. The detailed documentation of the open-source UTD IEA 15 MW blade increases the body of knowledge on large-scale turbines, serves as reference for future studies and research, and exemplifies the detailed structural design following industry standards for blade design.