Release Notes#

pyNuMAD 1.0.0#

Core functionality from previous versions of the NuMAD software framework have been translated to the Python programming language under the name pyNuMAD. Following the changes made in NuMAD 3.0, pyNuMAD focuses on an object-oriented approach to blade design.

Below is a summary of key features currently available:

  • Reading in blade definitions from the windIO yaml format. Legacy NuMAD Excel input files are also supported.

  • Creation of wind blades made from shell and/or solid elements.

  • Optional details such as adhesive bonds.

  • 2D cross sectional meshes for tools like VABS/ANBA/OpenSG

The GUI and .nmd legacy input files are discontinued for now.

NuMAD v3.0#

This previous MATLAB release incorporates structural optimization, associated structural analyses, and the move to object-oriented data structures. The exclusive use of the GUI in prior versions prevented automation in optimizations. Thus, moving to these data structures enabled optimization. Since the GUI functionality is advantageous in certain situations, its functionality is still retained. Current documentation primarily describes usage of the structural optimization, associated structural analyses, and the object-oriented data structures.

  • A new capability also includes the ability to accept input from the International Energy Agency (IEA) Wind Task 37 blade ontology. This is known to have enhanced collaboration.

  • 3D FEA shell analyses have been partially detached from the GUI and can now be parameterized for various parameter studies and optimization. Data I/O for ANSYS has been automated for mesh generation as well as various analyses, such as tip-deflection, buckling, material rupture, total mass, and frequencies.

  • A technique was developed to determine the design loads. The thousands of section forces and moments that occurred during the dynamic structural analyses required in the system-level optimization were reduced to nine critical load cases.

  • The other newly developed analysis procedure allowed to evaluate fatigue damage for every material layer at various cross-sections of a blade. Further details on both new analyses are provided in the journal article “Part II: 3D FEM design optimization of the rotor blades”.

  • Click here for NuMAD v3.0

Possible Future Development#

  • Allow for the option to make the blade entirely of solid elements

  • Incorporate adhesive modeling

  • Allow for FEA without the need of commercial FE licenses

  • Probabilistic flaw distributions

  • Incorporate Progressive damage

  • In addition to the ANSYS interface, add capability for a user to use other commercial FEA codes such as Abaqus and/or Nastran

Prior Releases#

NuMAD v2.0#

NuMAD first became available in the early 2000’s. It was originally written in Tcl, chosen for its ability to easily manipulate graphics and port information in and out of the main code. NuMAD has always been designed to output files for ANSYS. The latest release of the previous NuMAD code is dated 31 March 2010.

Beginning with the last release of the previous NuMAD, its authors realized that blade design was quickly heading in a direction where a computationally intense, and platform independent programming environment was needed for NuMAD. Mathworks MATLAB® was chosen as the environment because of its widespread use, its computational power, its flexibility in operating systems, its graphical capabilities, its popularity with researchers and students, and its ability to compile as well as to run from raw source code. The current release of NuMAD also includes some advanced capabilities which go beyond the basic connection to creation of the finite element model: tabularized input format, swept blades, blades with pre-bend, output for CFD mesh creation and output of blade cross section properties.

NuMAD v2.0 is available in two forms: 1) compiled MCR executable and 2) raw MATLAB source files. The MCR executables are in binaries.zip. Note that the MCR executables were too large to be placed in the “bin” folder of the source code. They as well as the rest of the “bin” files are in the binaries.zip asset. Thus, you can ignore the files in “bin” folder of the source code. Users are encouraged to study the raw source files to understand how NuMAD works. When there are capabilities that presently do not exist, the authors encourage users to work together with the authors to write modules that accomplish the tasks. It is the hope of the authors that the accessibility of the MATLAB source code will, in the long run, enable an extremely capable tool that will continue to enable DOE’s goals and benefit the entire wind industry.

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