Instrumentation development and testing of a wind turbine blade for sub-scale wake studies

A Hassanzadeh,J Naughton,J Lotufo,H Hangan

doi:10.1063/5.0042011

A Hassanzadeh, J Naughton + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0042011

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Abstract

Wind turbine blade aerodynamics and the resulting wake flow are complex, and wind tunnel testing of these flows can provide critical insight. The data from such tests are also valuable for validation of numerical models. For experiments using sub-scale turbines to be useful, the blade aerodynamics and wakes must exhibit the important features observed in utility-scale turbine flows. In this work, ∼1 m blades designed to produce physics relevant to larger scale turbines were manufactured and affixed to an existing turbine. One of the blades was instrumented for blade surface pressure measurements. Time-dependent surface pressure measurements coupled with instantaneous measurements of the inflow with Cobra probes and the wake with particle image velocimetry allowed for characterization of the inflow, blade flow, and near wake. The results demonstrate that the instrumentation was effective in characterizing the blade loading and the flow field. For the one test case discussed in this paper, the measurements of inflow, blade loading, and wake properties facilitate understanding of the wake's behavior.

Highlights

Optimizing the design and operation of wind plants requires understanding of the complex interaction between the wind inflow and the wind turbines
Characterization of the inflow, blade loads, and near-wake flow has been demonstrated for 2-m diameter turbine with blades designed to produce physics relevant to larger scale turbines
A designed hub-mounted, stand-alone pressure measurement system was used to determine blade loading, and Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) was used to measure a portion of the near wake

Summary

Introduction

Optimizing the design and operation of wind plants requires understanding of the complex interaction between the wind inflow and the wind turbines. In sub-scale studies, matching dimensionless parameters between the full-scale and sub-scale wind turbine blades to the degree possible ensures that the important physics are present. Experimental wind turbine wake studies have been carried out both in the field and in wind tunnels Since they inherently capture all the important physics associated with wake development and evolution, field measurements are critical for the understanding of these flows.[10,11] the challenges associated with field measurements often make it hard to use the field data alone for validating computational models. Data from nonrainy days and with wind directions within 615 relative a meteorological mast direction were used This example underscores the difficulty of making field measurements and their use for validation because selection of specific data and averaging of the boundary conditions are required. It should be noted that very long field campaigns are necessary to gather sufficient data to determine the statistical quantities necessary to provide meaningful insight into the wake, which adds additional complexity and cost

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