Optimization of wind turbine blade designs using computational fluid dynamics and structural analysis: a review

Abstract

Wind turbine blade optimization requires coordinated improvement of aerodynamic efficiency, structural reliability, fatigue life, manufacturability, and computational cost. This systematic literature review synthesizes studies on wind turbine blade design optimization using computational fluid dynamics and structural or aeroelastic analysis, with attention to design variables, modeling approaches, coupling strategies, optimization methods, validation practices, and limitations. The review protocol was registered with the OSF Registries under DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/VAR9T. Following a PRISMA-guided process, 233 records were identified from Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, IEEE Xplore, Google Scholar, and manual reference checks. After removing 25 duplicates, 208 records were screened, 34 full texts were assessed, and 14 studies were included for qualitative synthesis. The literature clustered into three streams: CFD-based aerodynamic shape optimization, especially airfoil, blade-tip, chord, twist, and sweep refinement; aeroelastic or multidisciplinary optimization balancing annual energy production with loads, fatigue, and control constraints; and structural or composite optimization addressing mass, stiffness, stress, deflection, buckling, laminate design, and manufacturability. Many studies used hybrid workflows combining selective high-fidelity CFD with reduced-order, beam, cross-sectional, or surrogate models. Integrated aero-structural optimization appears most practical, but comparisons remain limited by inconsistent load cases, incomplete validation, limited reporting of uncertainty, and insufficient treatment of manufacturability.