AeroDyn .elm Element File / For which blade is the data

Hi all,

I was simulating the NREL 5MW Turbine in FAST.
We are interested in the angle of attack distribution of a blade during one revolution.
Opening the .elm element file, produced by Aerodyn, we were wondering for which blade the
data shown is? We were expecting 3 similar outputs, one for each blade.
I could not find any information about that in the User’s Guides.

Is it right that the definition of the azimuth angle in AeroDyn is not the same as in FAST?

Thank you for your help,

Andreas Ferber

Hi, Andreas.

AeroDyn currently outputs information for only Blade 1. We hope to add the option to output information for all blades in a future version, but–for now–you have to modify the code and recompile if you need the outputs for the other blades.

AeroDyn defines zero degrees azimuth as pointing downward; the azimuth angles in FAST are measured with respect to its AzimB1Up input parameter. You can read more information about the azimuth definitions in the FAST and AeroDyn user’s guides.

Hope that helps.

Hi all
I have met similar problem as Andreas.Ferber described in this forum.I am interested in the aerodynamic force on the blade.
Opening the .elm element file, I can only find the aerodynamic force of blade 1.
How can I output the whole aerodynamic force on each blade?
Do you solve this problem?

Dear RenQiang.Xi,

In AeroDyn v15, we’ve added the ability to output aerodynamic terms (loads, angle of attack, etc.) for each blade. I suggest you upgrade to AeroDyn v15.

Best regards,