• Dr. D. Todd Griffith
  • Sandia National Laboratories
  • Holden Auditorium
  • 4:00 p.m.
  • Faculty Host: Dr. William Devenport

Wind energy will continue to play a crucial role in providing clean, renewable energy for the expanding needs of the US market.  In fact, a scenario has been developed to provide 20% of US electricity by 2030.  Wind turbines are large, complicated machines that operate in a harsh, turbulent environment in remote locations.  Advancements to the current state-of-the-art in wind energy technology have been achieved through empirical and analytical methods in the fields of aerodynamics, structural dynamics, controls, and materials; key discipline areas for aerospace structures development as well.  Increasing the penetration of wind energy requires that the cost of electricity generated from wind turbines remain competitive in the marketplace – this is particularly true in the offshore environment. 

This talk will provide an overview of Wind Energy Technology and recent wind turbine rotor blade research and development activities at Sandia National Laboratories.  Ongoing blade research targeted for the offshore environment will be presented and includes design studies and aero-elastic stability assessment for large 100-meter length blades, design of novel vertical axis rotor technology for deep-water siting, and structural health and prognostics management approaches to improve autonomy and reduce maintenance costs. 

Biography:

Dr. D. Todd Griffith is a Principal Member of the Technical Staff in the Wind and Water Power Technologies Department at Sandia National Laboratories. He is the Technical Lead for Sandia's Offshore Wind Energy Program. His research contributions include work in the areas of structural dynamics, field testing, large offshore rotor technology (Sandia 100-meter blade work, VAWT), and structural health monitoring methods for wind energy systems. Prior to coming to Sandia in 2005, he completed Ph.D. work at Texas A&M University in Aerospace Engineering.  He is an Associate Fellow of AIAA.

Note: Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.