Abstract
This paper investigates the impact of a wind turbine rotor on the passive cooler above a nacelle. In order to evaluate the suitability of the modeling approach, a comparison study is made between three modeling approaches, namely, the stationary model, multiple reference frame (MRF) model, and sliding mesh model. The simulated flow patterns indicate that the sliding mesh model is the most reliable option as the effects of blade shadow and rotor rotation are reasonably predicted. According to the sliding mesh model results, the impact of a wind turbine rotor can be interpreted from two aspects: the rotary rotor inhibits the formation of a recirculation zone above the fairing and generator, which is favorable for enhancing the passing flow rate over the passive cooler; however, the hindering effect caused by the rotary rotor is much more pronounced. As a consequence, the passing flow rate through the passive cooler mounted on the wind turbine is much lower than the same passive cooler positioned on the ground without a rotor in the front.
Highlights
Much research work has been carried out to understand the flow regime and flow characteristics of wind turbine wake, which is of great significance for increasing wind energy harvest, enhancing the reliability of wind turbine components, and alleviating noise emission issues
All these findings suggest the importance of considering the interaction between the passive cooler and wind turbine rotor, which was usually ignored in previous research work
This paper investigates the impact of a wind turbine rotor on the passive cooler above the nacelle
Summary
Much research work has been carried out to understand the flow regime and flow characteristics of wind turbine wake, which is of great significance for increasing wind energy harvest, enhancing the reliability of wind turbine components, and alleviating noise emission issues. Most renowned wind turbine manufacturers have used this type of cooling configuration in their newest offshore products.. Most renowned wind turbine manufacturers have used this type of cooling configuration in their newest offshore products.21,22 In this case, the wake of a wind turbine rotor—a result of the coupling of the incoming wind and the rotary rotor—will have a primary effect on the cooling performance of the wind turbine as well as on the structural strength of the cooler itself. Reliable modeling approaches, which can consider the effect of wind turbine rotors, are required to estimate the performance of the external cooler
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