This paper presents final results from the EU project AVATAR in which aerodynamic models are improved and validated for wind turbines on a scale of 10 MW and more. Special attention is paid to the improvement of low fidelity engineering (BEM based) models with higher fidelity (CFD) models but also with intermediate fidelity free vortex wake (FVW) models. The latter methods were found to be a good basis for improvement of induction modelling in engineering methods amongst others for the prediction of yawed cases, which in AVATAR was found to be one of the most challenging subjects to model. FVW methods also helped to improve the prediction of tip losses. Aero-elastic calculations with BEM based and FVW based models showed that fatigue loads for normal production cases were over predicted with approximately 15% or even more. It should then be realised that the outcome of BEM based models does not only depend on the choice of engineering add-ons (as is often assumed) but it is also heavily dependent on the way the induced velocities are solved. To this end an annulus and element approach are discussed which are assessed with the aid of FVW methods. For the prediction of fatigue loads the so-called element approach is recommended but the derived yaw models rely on an annulus approach which pleads for a generalised solution method for the induced velocities.

This paper aims to evaluate the effect of metallic waste addition on the electrical, thermophysical and microwave crack-healing properties of asphalt mixtures. With this purpose, asphalt mixtures with two different types of metallic waste, steel wool fibres and steel shavings, added in four different contents, were tested. Electrical and thermophysical properties of asphalt mixture specimens with, and without, metallic waste were measured. The spatial distribution of the metallic waste inside the asphalt mixture samples was evaluated by using X-ray computed tomography. In addition, crack-healing properties of asphalt samples using microwave radiation heating were assessed at two different healing times, 30 s and 40 s. To quantify the efficiency of the healing process, five healing cycles were carried out for each asphalt sample. The main results showed that asphalt mixtures with shavings presented lower air void contents than mixtures with fibres. Moreover, fibres produced an increase in the electrical conductivity of the mixtures because long fibres in the mixtures form electrically conductive channels. In contrast, shavings did not have significant effect on the electrical properties of the mixtures. Likewise, it was proven that metallic waste reduced the thermal conductivity and the specific heat capacity of asphalt mixtures. Conversely, shavings decreased the thermal diffusivity of asphalt mixtures regardless of their content. Overall, it was found that the healing level reached by the asphalt mixtures tested by microwave radiation depends on the healing time and the type and content of metallic waste used. CT-scans results proved that the spatial distribution of metallic waste inside the asphalt mixture samples was not uniform and played an important role in the asphalt self-healing properties using microwave radiation heating.

Microwave heating is regarded as a promising technique to promote crack-healing of asphalt mixtures reinforced with steel wool fibres. In addition to serving as a heat source when subject to microwave radiation, steel wool fibres are expected to affect the physical and mechanical properties of the asphalt pavements. However, it is not clear what this effect is, and what is the optimum fibre content that can provide effective crack-healing without having a negative impact on other relevant mixture properties. This paper reports a study of the steel wool fibres spatial distribution and their influence on the physical and mechanical properties of asphalt mixtures. For this purpose, five different dense asphalt mixtures, with the same aggregates gradation and bitumen content, but with five different percentages of steel wool fibres were manufactured. Then, their mechanical properties such as particle loss resistance in dry and wet conditions, and stiffness modulus and cracking resistance in Mode I of fracture at four different temperatures were evaluated. Samples of these mixtures were examined using Scanning Electron Microscopy and analysed using X-ray micro computed tomography to study the condition and distribution of fibres within the bitumen matrix. Microscopy results showed that fibres can be damaged during the mixing and compaction processes. A larger variability in the local distribution of fibres for mixtures incorporating a higher fibre content was observed in the tomography analysis, with presence of fibre clusters more than double of the average fibre content of the mixture. Although addition of fibres appears to reduce the bulk density of mixtures, according to tomography analysis differences in average porosity between samples were not statistically significant. Finally, it was confirmed that regardless of test temperature, steel wool fibres did not have a relevant influence on the improvement of particle loss resistance, stiffness modulus and cracking resistance of asphalt mixtures.

This paper presents the most recent results from the EU project AVATAR in which aerodynamic models are improved and validated for wind turbines on a scale of 10 MW and more. Measurements on a DU 00-W-212 airfoil are presented which have been taken in the pressurized DNW-HDG wind tunnel up to a Reynolds number of 15 Million. These measurements are compared with measurements in the LM wind tunnel for Reynolds numbers of 3 and 6 Million and with calculational results. In the analysis of results special attention is paid to high Reynolds numbers effects. CFD calculations on airfoil performance showed an unexpected large scatter which eventually was reduced by paying even more attention to grid independency and domain size in relation to grid topology. Moreover calculations are presented on flow devices (leading and trailing edge flaps and vortex generators). Finally results are shown between results from 3D rotor models where a comparison is made between results from vortex wake methods and BEM methods at yawed conditions.

The FP7 AdVanced Aerodynamic Tools for lArge Rotors - Avatar project aims to develop and validate advanced aerodynamic models, to be used in integral design codes for the next generation of large scale wind turbines (10-20MW). One of the approaches towards reaching rotors for 10-20MW size is the application of flow control devices, such as flaps. In Task 3.2: Development of aerodynamic codes for modelling of flow devices on aerofoils and, rotors of the Avatar project, aerodynamic codes are benchmarked and validated against the experimental data of a DU95W180 airfoil in steady and unsteady flow, for different angle of attack and flap settings, including unsteady oscillatory trailing-edge-flap motion, carried out within the framework of WP3: Models for Flow Devices and Flow Control, Task 3.1: CFD and Experimental Database. The aerodynamics codes are: AdaptFoil2D, Foil2W, FLOWer, MaPFlow, OpenFOAM, Q³UIC, ATEFlap. The codes include unsteady Eulerian CFD simulations with grid deformation, panel models and indicial engineering models. The validation cases correspond to 18 steady flow cases, and 42 unsteady flow cases, for varying angle of attack, flap deflection and reduced frequency, with free and forced transition. The validation of the models show varying degrees of agreement, varying between models and flow cases.