OpenFAST

OpenFAST#

OpenFAST is an open-source engineering toolset developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) for simulating wind turbine dynamics. It provides a modular framework for designing and analyzing wind turbines, allowing engineers to model various components such as blades, towers, and control systems.

OpenFAST has been compiled with FAST.Farm, an extension tailored for large-scale wind farm simulations. FAST.Farm facilitates the modeling of interactions between multiple turbines within wind farms, accounting for factors like wake effects, turbulence, and terrain complexity. FAST.Farm’s capabilities are indispensable for the design and planning of wind energy projects, unlocking the full potential of wind resources for renewable energy generation.

Moreover, both OpenFAST and FAST.Farm were compiled with OpenMP enabled, further optimizing their performance and scalability. This integration of parallel processing techniques enhances the efficiency and speed of simulations, empowering researchers and developers to tackle complex wind energy challenges with greater precision and accuracy.

Example#

import inductiva

# Set simulation input directory
input_dir = inductiva.utils.download_from_url(
    "https://storage.googleapis.com/inductiva-api-demo-files/"
    "openfast-input-example.zip", unzip=True)

# List of commands to run
commands = [
    "openfast IEA-15-240-RWT-Monopile.fst"
]

# Initialize OpenFAST simulator
openfast = inductiva.simulators.OpenFAST()

# Run simulation 
task = openfast.run(input_dir=input_dir,
                    commands=commands)

task.wait()
task.download_outputs()

Allowed Commands#

  • aerodyn_driver: Utilized for aerodynamic analysis, this binary focuses on airflow dynamics around wind turbine blades.

  • beamdyn_driver: Primarily used for structural analysis, this binary focuses on the dynamic response of wind turbine blades and towers.

  • feam_driver: This binary is employed for finite element analysis, focusing on detailed structural modeling and simulation.

  • hydrodyn_driver: Specifically designed for hydrodynamic analysis, this binary simulates the interaction between wind turbine support structures and water bodies.

  • inflowwind_driver: Used for inflow wind modeling, this binary simulates atmospheric conditions and their effects on wind turbine performance.

  • moordyn_driver: Focused on mooring dynamics, this binary analyzes the behavior of floating wind turbines and their mooring systems.

  • openfast: The main OpenFAST executable, orchestrating the integration and execution of various modules for comprehensive wind turbine simulation.

  • orca_driver: Employed for aero-elastic and hydrodynamic coupled simulations, this binary enables advanced analysis of wind turbine behavior in complex environments.

  • servodyn_driver: This binary specializes in control system analysis, simulating the response of wind turbine control systems to varying conditions.

  • subdyn_driver: Utilized for substructure dynamics analysis, this binary focuses on the interaction between wind turbine components and their support structures.

  • turbsim: A standalone tool for simulating atmospheric turbulence and its effects on wind turbine performance.

  • unsteadyaero_driver: This binary is used for unsteady aerodynamics analysis, focusing on time-varying airflow around wind turbine blades.

  • FAST.Farm: An extension of OpenFAST tailored for large-scale wind farm simulations, facilitating the modeling of interactions between multiple turbines within wind farms, accounting for factors like wake effects, turbulence, and terrain complexity.

Inductiva Benchmarks#

The following benchmarks are currently available for the OpenFAST suite:

  • 5MW Land: land based NREL 5-MW turbine simulation using BeamDyn as the structural module. It simulates 20 seconds with a time step size of 0.001.

  • 5MW OC4: simulates an offshore, fixed-bottom NREL 5-MW turbine. The computational emphasis is placed on the intricate HydroDyn wave-dynamics calculation.

  • FAST.Farm: FAST.Farm is an multiphysics engineering software designed to forecast the power performance and structural loads of wind turbines within a wind farm. It operates using OpenFAST and it is what allows our simulations to run in parallel.

Contents