Evaluation of the “fan scan” based on three combined nacelle lidars for advanced wind field characterisation

Abstract

Nacelle-mounted lidars are finding more and more applications in the wind industry. Their use cases range from power performance testing to lidar-assisted control. Depending on the application, different wind field parameters are reconstructed from the lidar’s line-of-sight wind measurements. Hereby, the respective scan geometry of the lidar determines the capabilities and limitations for the reconstruction of wind field parameters. In this study, we introduce the fan scan, a scanning pattern made of multiple nacelle-mounted lidars with the aim of an advanced wind field assessment to reconstruct more than three wind field parameters, which has been implemented at the Testfeld BHV site in Bremerhaven, Germany. Analytically derived uncertainties as well as calibration results for both, line-of-sight speeds and reconstructed wind field parameters, are presented indicating a good agreement with reference measurements. Additionally, a method for the reconstruction of the horizontal wind shear is introduced and applied to the fan scan data, highlighting the extended utilization possibilities of nacelle lidars.