Windows Support, Improved Installation, and other Phase II Developments

We have simplified the conda packaging and added support for Windows.

Each example should now have a README page describing how to run each case.

Several bug fixes and quality-of-life improvements.

Support for rectangular floating members in WISDEM and RAFT.

Optimization plotting tools.

Rely on conda packaging to provide key elements of the WEIS stack

This dramatically simplifies the WEIS repository and relies on conda packaging to deliver the key NREL software tools that comprise much of the WEIS stack. Now delivered by conda:

• OpenFAST
• ROSCO
• pyHAMS
• RAFT
• WISDEM
• MoorPy
• pCrunch

For straight users of WEIS, there is no more need for compilers and you can be up and running quickly. For developers, we recommend removing the conda package(s) that require new capabilities and installing from source directly.

Note that this approach is working well for Mac & Linux (current WEIS capability), but still struggles on Windows.

WEIS v1.1

Major updates since v1.0:

• Additional DLCs and DLC options (#175)
• Various bug fixes (#179, #182, #191, #193, #194)
• Support tower and platform optimizations in WISDEM/RAFT (#195)
• Fatigue updates (#185)
• Post-processing Notebooks (#187)
• Updated documentation
• Using official versions for OpenFAST (v3.2.1) and ROSCO (v2.6.0) subtrees.

What's Changed

• aeroelasticse can read in InflowWind Outlist by @mayankchetan in #176
• do not write ontology if from openfast true by @ptrbortolotti in #177
• DLC Updates by @dzalkind in #175
• Fixed bottom by @gbarter in #179
• typo in AeroDyn input file comments by @mayankchetan in #182
• Update OpenFAST by @dzalkind in #178
• Document Examples by @dzalkind in #170
• Fatigue by @gbarter in #185
• Simpler instructions by @gbarter in #186
• IPC and TE Flap optimization by @nikhar-abbas in #181
• Postprocessing Notebooks by @dzalkind in #187
• Yaw inertias for fixed-bottom by @gbarter in #191
• OpenFAST v3.2.1 by @dzalkind in #189
• Fix Example 07 by @dzalkind in #193
• Fix example 07 v2 by @ptrbortolotti in #194
• support simultaneous tower platform opts by @ptrbortolotti in #195
• Version 1.1 by @dzalkind in #188

New Contributors

• @mayankchetan made their first contribution in #176

Full Changelog: v1.0...v1.1

WEIS v1.0

This is the official v1.0 release of WEIS as it contains all of the key functionality proposed by the NREL team. Many more improvements are planned across the WEIS stack of WISDEM, OpenFAST, RAFT, ROSCO, pCrunch, and others in coming projects.

Soft release in prep for v1.0

This is a soft release that contains many changes and improvements to the code, but many more are coming in the next few weeks that will comprise v1.0

Preliminary frequency domain capability

The number of small features and bug fixes since the last release are probably too numerous to list or easily organize. High points include:

Frequency domain capability

New additions to the WEIS stack are RAFT (frequency domain solver), pyHAMS (potential-flow hydrodynamics), and MoorPy (pure python quasi-static mooring model). These have not yet been fully integrated with the WEIS design optimization workflow and have only undergone limited testing. Not yet ready for non-NREL use.

Direct usage of OpenFAST loads in design constraints

Design constraints around structural stress or buckling from extreme loads now use OpenFAST outputs for the blades and towers. Floating platform stress analysis from OpenFAST will be completed soon.

Improved optimization robustness

Many of the bug fixes and tweaks came from running sample problems and identifying issues. Many improvements have been made to the native WEIS code and even more to the supporting WISDEM and ROSCO tools.

Interim Release

This is an interim release of WEIS that has in place simple controls co-design design optimization capability for floating offshore wind turbines at "Level 3", non-linear time domain simulation with OpenFAST.