Wake Deformation Research Articles

Lift-Induced Wake Re-Energization for a VAWT-Based Multi-Rotor System

This study explores the performance and near-wake dynamics of a VAWT-based Multi-Rotor System in both its original configuration and in the presence of external lift-generating devices, specifically employed for wake control operations. The wake of a scaled VAWT-based MRS was measured in a wind tunnel using Particle Tracking Velocimetry. Lift-generating devices, including a 3-element cascading wing on top and a single-element wing in the middle of the MRS, were used to enhance wake control and deflection. Measurements in the near-wake revealed notable differences between configurations with and without these devices. Without them, the wake remained concentrated in the actuator surface’s projected downstream area, with minimal crossflow diffusion. Conversely, the configuration with lift-generating devices exhibited significant wake deformation, including axial expansion and lateral contraction, promoting streamwise momentum recovery. As a result, increased power recovery was found downstream of such a system compared to the clean MRS. These findings underscore the potential of such systems, particularly when equipped with lift-generating devices, to manipulate wake dynamics and enhance wind farm efficiency, thereby advancing innovative wind energy solutions.

An efficient method for unsteady hydrofoil simulations, based on Non-Linear Dynamic Lifting Line theory

This paper presents a Non-linear Dynamic Lifting Line (NDLL)-based method for analysing hydrofoil vessels in waves. The method is validated, and its utility is demonstrated in a case study.The NDLL accounts for dynamic and 3D effects through a panellized wake and allows the evaluation of the pressure distribution on hydrofoils. Improved models are presented for wake deformation, wake composition, hydrofoil interaction, and the viscous core of vortex wake models. Furthermore, an efficient way of accounting for Green function terms through a matrix interpolation method is presented.Validation is performed by comparison with aerodynamic and hydrodynamic experiments and new 3D RANS simulations. The RANS simulations focus on geometries and operating conditions deemed representative of hydrofoiling fast ferries. Predictions of steady and dynamic lift, drag, wake velocities and cavitation inception are evaluated, and results correspond well with the benchmark data.A simulator framework is introduced, which integrates the hydrodynamic model with kinetics, kinematics, and control system models. This enables analyses of free-running vessels under active control, including assessments of resistance, motions, and the hydrofoil pressure distribution.The case study constitutes a qualitative verification of the simulator and flight control tuning methods, and reveals the possibility of negative added resistance in waves.

Analysis of middle-to-far wake behind floating offshore wind turbines in the presence of multiple platform motions

Understanding the unsteady characteristics of the mid-to-far wake and comprehension of the aerodynamic performance of floating offshore wind turbines is essential for the further development of offshore wind farms. In this perspective, a developed Actuator line model is utilized to analyze an offshore turbine on four different platforms. The model reliability was examined through three sets of validations involving turbine output in fixed and floating conditions and wake expansion in terms of size and rate. The affected relative velocity by the platform motion contributes to the wake deformation and temporal effects on induced velocity. Angular platform motions produce a non-axisymmetric helical wake that raises the chance of meandering wake patterns. It was founded although platform movement generally can boost the recovery of mean velocity value, it may amplify the amplitude of velocity deficit fluctuation at further downstream by encouraging interactions and merging vortex rings. Consequently, the wake propagates into a form of stronger circles whose period, strength, and center are functions of turbine movement and operation conditions. By providing a computationally efficient tool, the findings emphasize the importance of wake propagation in designing and assessing farm layouts that operate in the presence of significant multi-motions of floating offshore wind turbines.

Large Eddy Simulation of Yawed Wind Turbine Wake Deformation

Wind turbine wake redirection drawn by a yaw control has been proposed as a strategy to improve the performance of wind farms. However, the characteristics and the development of the curled wake structure deformed by the yaw action of the rotor are not well understood. In the present study, the structure of the wake behind a wind turbine imparted with various yaw angles subjected to uniform inflow was investigated using large-eddy simulation. The NREL 5MW reference wind turbine was modeled with an actuator disk with rotation to study the deformation process of the curled wake. The source of the vertical asymmetry in the wake deformation was found to be based on the interaction of global wake rotation and a counter-rotating vortex pair induced by the yaw angle. The yaw angle had a profound influence on the distortion of the wake and its trajectory, whose effect was naturally mitigated with downstream distance.

Viscous extension of vortex methods for unsteady aerodynamics

The Kutta condition has been extensively used to determine aerodynamic loads of steady and unsteady flows over airfoils. Nevertheless, the application of this condition to unsteady flows has been controversial for decades. A viscous correction to the Kutta condition was recently developed by matching the potential flow solution with a special boundary layer theory that resolves the flow field in the immediate vicinity of the trailing edge: the triple-deck boundary layer theory. In this work, we utilize this viscous condition to extend two common numerical methods for unsteady aerodynamics to capture viscous effects on the dynamics of unsteady lift and pitching moment—we develop viscous versions of the traditional discrete vortex method and unsteady vortex lattice/panel method. The resulting aerodynamic loads obtained from the proposed numerical models are compared against higher-fidelity simulations of unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations for an airfoil undergoing step, harmonic, and complex maneuvers. The obtained results are consistently in better agreement with the unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes simulations in comparison to their potential flow counterpart. In conclusion, the developed numerical methods are capable of capturing (i) unsteady effects; (ii) viscous effects (e.g., viscosity-induced lag) on the dynamics of lift and moment at high frequencies and low Reynolds numbers; and (iii) wake deformation, for arbitrary time-varying motion.

A point vortex transportation model for yawed wind turbine wakes

In this study, stereo particle imaging velocimetry measurements are performed at multiple streamwise locations behind a yawed wind turbine to reveal the formation mechanisms of the counter-rotating vortex pair (CVP), and a point vortex transportation (PVT) model is proposed to reproduce the top–down asymmetric kidney-shaped wake (also referred to as a curled wake). Results indicate that the CVP formed behind a yawed wind turbine originates from the complex interactions between the hub vortex and the streamwise components of the blade tip vortices, which is fundamentally different from the case of a yawed drag disk where the hub vortex is absent. Specifically, when the yaw angle exceeds a critical value, a small part of the streamwise vorticity shed from the rotor disk edge switches its sign from negative to positive and subsequently merges with the concentrated hub vortex under mutual induction, creating a patch of positive vorticity; meanwhile, the remaining streamwise vorticity distributed along the rotor edge curls and evolves into another patch of negative vorticity. These two patches of streamwise vorticity essentially constitute the CVP. Based on the physics learnt from the experiments, the non-uniform cross-stream velocity fields are first reconstructed by a cloud of point vortices distributed along the rotor edge and a hub vortex located in the rotor centre, and subsequently used to numerically solve a simplified transportation–diffusion equation of the wake velocity deficit, which altogether constitute the PVT model. This physics-based reduced-order model is the first model capable of accurately reproducing the wake deformation behind a yawed wind turbine.

A panel method for floating offshore wind turbine simulations with fully integrated aero- and hydrodynamic modelling in time domain

ABSTRACTThe further development of the first-order panel method panMARE for simulating floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs) in time domain is presented in this work. Based on a surface discretisation of platform, tower and rotor with its wake, the three-dimensional aerodynamic and hydrodynamic flow fields are calculated. A free wake deformation model is integrated to capture blade–wake interaction. Hydrodynamic, aerodynamic and mooring loads are cumulated by a six-degrees-of-freedom solver to compute the motion of the FOWT. The presented method is able to simulate unsteady and aperiodic motions and to predict the wake deformations and their influence on the rotor loads due to the platform motion. In order to verify the method, simulation results of the DeepCWind floater with the NREL 5-MW baseline turbine are compared with those obtained in the OC4 project. The ability to capture highly unsteady situations is studied as well by simulating a gust with varying length.

Influences of the Wake Deformation and the Free-Surface on Steady Aerodynamics of Wings in the Ground Effect

Influences of the Wake Deformation and the Free-Surface on Steady Aerodynamics of Wings in the Ground Effect

The complex aerodynamic footprint of desert locusts revealed by large-volume tomographic particle image velocimetry.

Particle image velocimetry has been the preferred experimental technique with which to study the aerodynamics of animal flight for over a decade. In that time, hardware has become more accessible and the software has progressed from the acquisition of planes through the flow field to the reconstruction of small volumetric measurements. Until now, it has not been possible to capture large volumes that incorporate the full wavelength of the aerodynamic track left behind during a complete wingbeat cycle. Here, we use a unique apparatus to acquire the first instantaneous wake volume of a flying animal's entire wingbeat. We confirm the presence of wake deformation behind desert locusts and quantify the effect of that deformation on estimates of aerodynamic force and the efficiency of lift generation. We present previously undescribed vortex wake phenomena, including entrainment around the wing-tip vortices of a set of secondary vortices borne of Kelvin–Helmholtz instability in the shear layer behind the flapping wings.

Clocking In Turbines: Remarks On Physical Nature And Geometric Requirements

Abstract The article discusses two issues relating to the clocking phenomenon in turbines, which are the physical course of stator wake deformation in rotor passages and its further interaction with downstream stator blades, and turbine geometry parameters which are believed to be most favourable for clocking. In both cases, the results presented in the article have made it possible to verify and reformulate the previously accepted opinions.

Wake Development behind Paired Wings with Tip and Root Trailing Vortices: Consequences for Animal Flight Force Estimates

Recent experiments on flapping flight in animals have shown that a variety of unrelated species shed a wake behind left and right wings consisting of both tip and root vortices. Here we present an investigation using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) of the behaviour and interaction of trailing vortices shed by paired, fixed wings that simplify and mimic the wake of a flying animal with a non-lifting body. We measured flow velocities at five positions downstream of two adjacent NACA 0012 aerofoils and systematically varied aspect ratio, the gap between the wings (corresponding to the width of a non-lifting body), angle of attack, and the Reynolds number. The range of aspect ratios and Reynolds number where chosen to be relevant to natural fliers and swimmers, and insect flight in particular. We show that the wake behind the paired wings deformed as a consequence of the induced flow distribution such that the wingtip vortices convected downwards while the root vortices twist around each other. Vortex interaction and wake deformation became more pronounced further downstream of the wing, so the positioning of PIV measurement planes in experiments on flying animals has an important effect on subsequent force estimates due to rotating induced flow vectors. Wake deformation was most severe behind wings with lower aspect ratios and when the distance between the wings was small, suggesting that animals that match this description constitute high-risk groups in terms of measurement error. Our results, therefore, have significant implications for experimental design where wake measurements are used to estimate forces generated in animal flight. In particular, the downstream distance of the measurement plane should be minimised, notwithstanding the animal welfare constraints when measuring the wake behind flying animals.

Self-truncated ionization injection and consequent monoenergetic electron bunches in laser wakefield acceleration

The ionization-induced injection in laser wakefield acceleration has been recently demonstrated to be a promising injection scheme. However, the energy spread controlling in this mechanism remains a challenge because continuous injection in a mixed gas target is usually inevitable. Here, we propose that by use of certain initially unmatched laser pulses, the electron injection can be constrained to the very front region of the mixed gas target, typically in a length of a few hundreds micrometers determined by the laser self-focusing and the wake deformation. As a result, the produced electron beam has narrow energy spread and meanwhile contains tens of pC in charge. Both multidimensional simulations and theoretical analysis illustrate the effectiveness of this scheme.

Numerical And Experimental Studies On Wing In Ground Effect

Numerical and experimental studies were performed to investigate the aerodynamic performance of a thin wing in close vicinity to the ground. The vortex lattice method (VLM) was utilized to simulate the wing in ground (WIG) effect, which included freely deforming wake elements. The numerical results acquired through the VLM were compared to the experimental results. The experiment entailed varying the ground clearance using the DHMTU (Department of Hydromechanics of the Marine Technical University of Saint Petersburg) wing and the WIG craft model in the wind tunnel. The aero-dynamic influence of the design parameters, such as angles of attack, aspect ratios, taper ratios, and sweep angles were studied and compared between the numerical and experimental results associated with the WIG craft. Both numerical and experimental results suggested that the endplate augments the WIG effect for a small ground clearance. In addition, the vortex lattice method simulated the wake deformation following the wing in the influence of the ground effect.

Unsteady Wing Characteristics AtLow Reynolds Number

Unsteady Wing Characteristics AtLow Reynolds Number

A general approach for computing unsteady 3D thin lifting and/or propulsive systems derived from a complete theory

We present the basis of a numerical method for unsteady aerodynamic computation around thin lifting and/or propulsive systems with arbitrary variable geometries, involving the velocity field, the velocity potential, the pressure field and the wake characteristics (geometry and vortex strength). Most of the corresponding theory actually stems from the unsteady wake model established by Mudry, in which the wake is considered to be a median layer, characterized by a pair of functions on which Mudry founded the concept of continuous vortex particle. The governing relations of the continuous problem are then the flow tangency condition, the wake integro-differential evolution equation, and a flow regularity condition at the trailing edge. This constitutes a rigorous and complete theoretical formulation of this problem, from which a discretization scheme and a numerical method of solution are derived. The view of the vortex wake is similar to the one in the classical vortex lattice approaches, but uses a discrete vortex particle concept, particularly well suited for the prediction of the unsteady wake deformation

Experimental Study of Rotor Wake/Body Interactions in Hover

Experiments were conducted to document the tip vortex geometries and interactional effects betwen a hovering rotor and a body representing a simplified helicopter fuselage. The wide-field shadowgraph technique was used to visualize the rotor tip vortices and to obtain quantitative information on the trajectories, with and without the presence of the body. It was found that the effects of the body caused significant changes to both the radial contraction and axial displacements of the tip vortices compared to the isolated case. Direct impingement of the tip vortices on the body surface was also observed, and found to cause large local wake deformations. The rotor performance was significantly affected by the body, producing a higher figure of merit relative to the isolated case.

Efficient panel method for vortex sheet roll-up

In order to improve the accuracy of a potential flow three-dimensional wing panel method, wake deformation must be taken into account. This leads to a better knowledge of the large-scale flow behavior. In this paper, a computational method modeling the vortex sheet behind a wing is presented. The sheet deformation is computed using a two-dimensional unsteady analogy in the crossflow plane. The local velocities are induced by linear vorticity panels with smoothed velocity fields. The sheet is rediscretized at each time step with an adaptive curvature-dependent paneling scheme. The vortex sheet model produces good results for the typical cases of elliptic loading, wing/flap configuration, and ring wing. Coupling of the wake model with a three-dimensional wing panel method gives wake geometries that compare well with those obtained with other codes.

Experimental investigation on the effect of crescent planform on lift and drag

Lift and drag forces were compared for elliptic and crescent wing models at cruise and climb conditions in the NASA Langley 14 X 22 ft subsonic tunnel. The force measurements were obtained for an angle-of-atta ck range from - 3 to 10 deg at a Reynolds number (based on the freestream conditions and the average wing chord) of about 1.7 x IO 6. The experiment and the accuracy of the measurements are discussed in detail. In addition, lift and drag measurements are summarized for high angle-of-attack conditions. The results indicate that, for attached flow conditions, the crescent wing with its highly swept tips generated less lift-dependent drag than the elliptic wing for given lift force, wing span, and freestream conditions. The drag reduction is thought to be the result of a favorable influence of trailing wake deformation on the pressure distribution of the crescent wing.

Sheared wing-tip aerodynamics - Wind-tunnel and computational investigation

Computational and experimental performance benefits are presented for a high-aspect-ratio unswept wing configuration with sheared tips. The sheared tip is a highly swept and highly tapered surface located in the same plane as the inboard wing panel to which it is attached. The compuational results were obtained with an inviscid surface panel method that models the nonlinear influence of the trailing wake. Both wind-tunnel and calculated results were obtained for a 12-ft span wing model with various wing-tip configurations. The computational and experimental data are in fair agreement and demonstrate that sheared wing tips can reduce induced drag at cruise and climb lift coefficients. The drag reduction is the result of wake deformation effects and changes in spanwise load distribution. Wind-tunnel measured longitudinal and lateral directional stability characteristics are also presented for the various wing-tip layouts.

Unsteady Aerodynamic Forces Acting on Vibrating Cascade Blades in a Three-Dimensional Flow Field

A method was developed for calculating unsteady aerodynamic forces acting on vibrating cascade blades in a three-dimensional flow field. Blades were allowed to have nonuniform span-wise steady loading, and to be vibrating in three-dimensional modes. The effects of wake deformation behind blade trailing edges were also considered. It was shown that nonuniform steady loading along the span controlled the unsteady aerodynamic characteristics of vibrating blades at lower reduced frequencies, and the effects of wake deformation became relatively significant at higher reduced frequencies. Compared to the results by a two-dimensional strip theory, there were considerable differences at lower reduced frequencies, especially in the case of highly loaded and staggered cascades. A high-order vibrating mode was also investigated in which an airfoil section might change its chord-wise shape significantly. The results indicated that this mode could be critical in determining the flutter boundary.