This study investigates the effectiveness of a hydraulic-pneumatic flywheel system integrated into the rotor of a wind turbine for structural load reduction. The analysis uses the state-of-the-art aeroelastic simulation tools OpenFAST and HAWC2, coupled with a novel Simulink based flywheel and control model, to evaluate fatigue loads mitigation abilities of the flywheel. Fatigue load simulations are performed for cases with and without the flywheel system, with a specific focus on the fatigue life of the tower. The findings indicate that different flywheel control functionalities exhibit varying levels of influence on tower fatigue loading in both simulation environments. A fatigue-life extension of up to 20% is achieved, demonstrating the potential of flywheel control strategies for structural load mitigation.
BT - TORQUE Conference 2026 CY - Bruges, Belgium DA - 05/2026 DO - 10.1088/1742-6596/3224/9/092001 N2 -This study investigates the effectiveness of a hydraulic-pneumatic flywheel system integrated into the rotor of a wind turbine for structural load reduction. The analysis uses the state-of-the-art aeroelastic simulation tools OpenFAST and HAWC2, coupled with a novel Simulink based flywheel and control model, to evaluate fatigue loads mitigation abilities of the flywheel. Fatigue load simulations are performed for cases with and without the flywheel system, with a specific focus on the fatigue life of the tower. The findings indicate that different flywheel control functionalities exhibit varying levels of influence on tower fatigue loading in both simulation environments. A fatigue-life extension of up to 20% is achieved, demonstrating the potential of flywheel control strategies for structural load mitigation.
PB - IOP: Journal of Physics PP - Bruges, Belgium PY - 2026 T2 - TORQUE Conference 2026 TI - Fatigue Life Evaluation of a Wind Turbine Tower with a Hydraulic-Pneumatic Flywheel System in the Rotor UR - https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1742-6596/3224/9/092001 ER -