Multidisciplinary optimization of wind turbine blades

When designing a wind turbine, the goal is to attain the highest possible output under specified atmospheric conditions, among them wind velocity, with specified diameter of windwheel. From the technical point of view, the aerodynamic efficiency of a wind turbine depends on the shape of the blade. The problem of determining the optimum shape of a wind turbine blade is a complex one, as the mathematical description of aerodynamic load is complex and a number of limiting conditions have to be satisfied. These considerations have prompted the authors to take up the problem of the multicriteria optimum design of wind turbine blades. In the optimisation process both the continuous and discrete variables were taken into account. The aim of this study was to develop a computer program package that would enable optimisation of wind turbine blades with regard to a number of criteria and to prove the feasibility of applying genetic algorithms in multicriteria discrete-continuous optimisation.