12 - Wind turbine performance assessment and knowledge management for aerodynamic behaviour modelling and design: IEA experience

Abstract

During the 1990s, several institutes cooperated within the International Energy Agency (IEA) Annexes XIV and XVIII in order to perform aerodynamic experimental programmes on full-scale horizontal axis wind turbines in field conditions. In these experimental programmes, local aerodynamic quantities (forces, velocities) are measured at several locations along a rotor blade. As a result of the international collaboration within the IEA Annex XIV, it has been possible to coordinate data processing and to create a database of measured data. The detailed aerodynamic measurements obtained on very different turbines gave a unique opportunity to better understand the aerodynamic behaviour of a wind turbine and resulted in the development and validation of more accurate aerodynamic models. Moreover, the extreme wind in the Pacific Ocean region in Asia damages wind turbines every year. To promote the installation of wind turbines in such a severe wind region, the Extreme Wind Speed Database was constructed by Japanese New Energy and the Industrial Technology Development Organization. The database includes the extreme wind speed distribution in Japan for users who want to examine more detailed information on, for example, the local terrain effects.