Análise comparativa do desempenho de um gerador eólico em situações onshore e offshore na costa brasileira utilizando Qblade

Abstract

Wind energy has stood out as an important renewable source in the search for sustainable solutions to the environmental challenges currently faced. This work aims to simulate and analyze the performance of a horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT) in different environments, both on land (onshore) and at sea (offshore), considering the conditions of the Brazilian coast. For this, the 5 MW NREL model is used with a nominal wind speed of 10 m/s and the Qblade software as a simulation tool. In the offshore context, the maritime environment offers significant advantages over the terrestrial one, including greater regularity and wind speed, less turbulence and the possibility of using larger rotors due to the distance from inhabited areas. However, offshore turbines, especially those supported by buoys, require special considerations due to constant rotor oscillations caused by tower base movements. Using the XFOIL/XFLR5 flow simulation algorithm and the blade element moment (BEM) method, the aerodynamic coefficients, torque and power are evaluated as a function of variables such as wind speed, Tip Speed Ratio (TSR), rotation, among others. The obtained results reveal the turbine performance characteristics in different environments, highlighting the wind speed oscillations in onshore conditions and the influence of turbulence. In addition, the power coefficients, the average power and the turbine rotation speed are analyzed, revealing considerable variations, mainly in the offshore configuration supported by buoys. Finally, the comparative analysis of energy generation demonstrates that the onshore and fixed offshore configurations present similar results, while the offshore configuration supported by buoys registers a slightly lower production, representing about 95% of the energy generated by the other configurations.