Comparative study on the wake description using actuator disc model with increasing level of complexity

Abstract

The present work evaluates the benefits obtained when different levels of geometric and aerodynamic information of wind turbine blades are included in the actuator disc (AD) model, progressively increasing its descriptive capabilities. A novel AD model is presented, equivalent in precision to the AD coupled with the blade element momentum method, but avoiding the need to modify the CFD code by the use of a pre-calculated table. It is compared against three classical AD models, particularly aiming at the simulation of the wind farm wake interaction. The NREL-5MW reference wind turbine is adopted as test case, and configurations with single and two shifted wind turbines are analyzed.