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Carbon Fiber Composite Aeroelastically Tailored Rotor Blades for Utility-Scale Wind Turbines

Award Information
Agency: Department of Energy
Branch: N/A
Contract: DE-FG03-02ER86151
Agency Tracking Number: 70206T02-I
Amount: $100,000.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: STTR
Solicitation Topic Code: N/A
Solicitation Number: N/A
Timeline
Solicitation Year: N/A
Award Year: 2002
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): N/A
Award End Date (Contract End Date): N/A
Small Business Information
P.O. Box 4153 4108 Spring Hill Drive
Lawrence, KS 66046
United States
DUNS: N/A
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Kyle Wetzel
 (785) 766-2450
 kwetzel@kwetzel.com
Business Contact
 Kyle Wetzel
Phone: (785) 766-2450
Email: kwetzel@kwetzel.com
Research Institution
 The Wichita State University
 Cadogan John
 
Dept. 3001-Research Admin. 319 National Institute for Avi
Wichita, KS 67260
United States

 Nonprofit College or University
Abstract

70206 The wind turbine industry will need advanced materials and designs to achieve the DOE goal of 3.0¿/kWh cost of energy at Class 4 sites. Aeroelastically tailored blades constructed of braided carbon and hybrid carbon/glass composite materials offer the potential for significant savings in blade weight and possibly cost while using passive twist-bend coupling to ameliorate peak extreme loads and fatigue. This project will develop and demonstrate the production of a utility-scale twist-bend coupled blade (with the desired fatigue characteristics) that can be cost-effectively manufactured using recently developed manufacturing methods (e.g., resin infusion molding) with braided carbon materials. Phase I will include (1) material design and fatigue testing to identify structurally sound laminate constructions for effecting aeroelastic coupling using carbon and hybrid fiber reinforcements; (2) the identification of technologies for fabricating carbon and hybrid carbon/glass composite structures to effect aeroelastic coupling; and (3) the optimization of the carbon composite rotor blade design to 37-m wind turbine rotor blade (optimizing among the variables aeroelastic tailoring, stiffness, weight and cost reduction, load reduction, and aerodynamic performance) that provides the greatest reduction in cost of energy from wind power. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: A family of designs for carbon composite aeroelastically tailored wind turbine blades, with lengths from 37 m to 60 m, should allow turbines to continue expanding in size while reducing the cost of energy by 8-10%. This should enable a substantial expansion of wind energy markets in both the U.S. and Europe.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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