DTU 10 MW Reference Wind Turbine. Wind turbine rotor aerodynamics validation

By Marc Vives Published 25 March 2026

The DTU 10 MW Reference Wind Turbine, a three-bladed upwind rotor with 178.3 m diameter and 119 m hub height, is an open reference design developed in DTU's Light Rotor project as the 10 MW open successor to the NREL 5 MW reference, and is widely used to validate wind-turbine rotor aerodynamics codes. Flow360 results are compared against DTU CFD data across below-rated wind speeds (U = 8–11 m/s) using the Spalart–Allmaras DDES turbulence model and a sliding-mesh rotating zone. Comparisons include shaft power, rotor thrust, and spanwise sectional loads (Ct, Cp) along the blade.

Comparison of Flow360 predictions against reference data. Click an image to expand.

Velocity sweep — Power and thrust

Sectional loads at U = 11 m/s

Spanwise loading by wind speed