The CO-simulation of UNsTeady aERodynamics (COUNTER) Integrating wind tunnel experiments and numerical simulations to a deeper level: A novel methodology using structured data-driven models

An important challenge in the operation and maintenance of wind
turbines is the accurate prediction of the unsteady aerodynamic and
hydrodynamic loads on the turbine rotor and the tower. Where before
wind tunnel experiments were used to determine the aerodynamics
of turbine rotors, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations
have largely overtaken that key role in the last few decades.
Sometimes both experiments and simulations are available, but few
strategies exist to combine them.
The goal of this project is to create a framework for the development
of a data-driven co‐simulation model that fuses data from
computational fluid dynamics and experimental data from wind tunnel
tests. Such co-simulation models will provide better insight and offer
more efficient numerical tools for the study of complex, unsteady,
nonlinear aerodynamics, e.g. in the context of the development of a
digital twin.
The project will focus on two canonical systems that are
representative for typical unsteady aerodynamics loads: a pitching
wing and a cylinder oscillating transversely to the flow, but the
principles of smart data-driven modelling for co-simulation purposes
will be more broadly applicable and beneficia.