The XTurb-PSU code is being actively developed in Dr. Schmitz’s research group at Penn State. In its present form, XTurb-PSU is capable of analyzing wind turbine blade designs in rotating and parked conditions subject to steady inflow. The code uses either classical Blade Element Momentum Theory (BEMT) or a Helicoidal Vortex Method (HVM) developed by Prof. J. J. Chattot at UC Davis for the prediction of blade loads.
Current developments include : Spanwise blending of airfoil data, Stall-Delay modeling, Blade design optimization using evolutionary algorithms.
Dr. Schmitz integrates active research on XTurb-PSU into the teaching of his graduate course “Wind Turbine Aerodynamics (AERSP 583)”.
Get the XTurb-PSU_UserManual here