Micro-siting technique for wind turbine generators by using large-eddy simulation

Abstract

It is highly important in Japan to choose a good site for wind turbines, because the spatial distribution of wind speed is quite complicated over steep complex terrain. We are developing the unsteady numerical model called the Research Institute for Applied Mechanics, Kyushu University, COMputational Prediction of Airflow over Complex Terrain (RIAM-COMPACT). The RIAM-COMPACT is based on the large-eddy simulation (LES). The object domain of the RIAM-COMPACT is from several m to several km. First, to test the accuracy of the RIAM-COMPACT we have performed an experimental and a numerical simulation of a non-stratified airflow past a two-dimensional ridge and a three-dimensional hill in a uniform flow. Attention is focused on airflow characteristics in a wake region. For this purpose, the velocity components were measured with a split-film probe (SFP) in the wind tunnel experiment. Through comparison of the experimental and numerical results, they showed a good agreement. The accuracy of both of the wind tunnel experiment by the SFP and also numerical simulation by the RIAM-COMPACT were confirmed. Next, we have applied the RIAM-COMPACT to the airflow over real complex terrain. The numerical results obtained by the RIAM-COMPACT demonstrated that the changes induced on the wind field by the topographic effect, such as the local wind acceleration and the flow separation, were successfully simulated. Furthermore, the forecast accuracy of an actual wind speed is examined.