Dottorato in INGEGNERIA INDUSTRIALE E GESTIONALE

Titolo della tesi: Advancing Industrial Wind Energy Simulations using Variational Multiscale Methods and a Mid-Fidelity Framework for Turbine Aeroelasticity

This thesis presents the development of a high-fidelity numerical framework for the simulation of wind turbines and wind farms, with particular emphasis on offshore and floating configurations. The main objective is to achieve an accurate yet computationally efficient modeling approach capable of capturing the complex aerodynamic, structural, and turbulent interactions that influence turbine performance and wake behavior. The research begins with the study of the Actuator Line Model (ALM) in a Finite Volume Method (FVM) framework based on OpenFOAM, later extended with the implementation of a Finite Element Method (FEM) structural solver to account for blade flexibility through a loosely coupled Fluid–Structure Interaction (FSI) algorithm. Building upon this, the ALM formulation is developed within a Residual-Based Variational Multiscale (RBVMS) framework, using both FEM and Isogeometric Analysis (IGA) discretizations. The resulting ALM–VMS model is validated against established numerical benchmarks, demonstrating accuracy comparable to high-fidelity CFD simulations while maintaining significantly lower computational cost. The framework is then applied to several wind engineering challenges, including turbine–wake interactions in offshore wind context, the influence of sea waves on wake development, and the implementation of root- and tip-correction models for actuator-based representations. Overall, the proposed ALM–VMS formulation provides a robust and flexible tool for simulating complex wind energy systems and establishes a solid foundation for future developments in fully coupled aero-hydro-elastic modeling and Isogeometric Analysis (IGA).