Yawed Wind Turbine Research Articles

Validation of the real-time-response ProCap measurement system for full field wake scans behind a yawed model-scale wind turbine

For an accurate prediction of the complex flow conditions in wind farms, model scale wake flow measurements represent important references in well-defined boundary conditions. State-of-the art flow measurement techniques are often time-expensive and require elaborate post-processing to assess the data quality. In this wind tunnel study we demonstrate the advantages of the real-time-response system Probe Capture (ProCap) for measurements of a complex three-dimensional wind turbine wake flow. The complex wake flow behind a yawed model wind turbine is measured with both a Laser-Doppler Anemometer (LDA) and the ProCap system. Both the streamwise and vertical flow component show an accurate agreement with the LDA reference experiment for various measured downstream distances and turbine yaw angles. Areas of strong rotation in the wake flow are accurately resolved by the ProCap measurement system confirming its applicability for wind turbine wake measurement. The system appears to greatly facilitate and speed up larger wake surveys by a factor of 30 and thus has the potential to enhance the understanding of the complex flow topology in wind turbine wakes.

Wind tunnel experiments on wind turbine wakes in yaw: effects of inflow turbulence and shear

Abstract. The wake characteristics behind a yawed model wind turbine exposed to different customized inflow conditions are investigated. Laser Doppler anemometry is used to measure the wake flow in two planes at x∕D = 3 and x∕D = 6, while the turbine yaw angle is varied from γ=-30∘ to 0∘ to +30∘. The objective is to assess the influence of grid-generated inflow turbulence and shear on the mean and turbulent flow components. The wake flow is observed to be asymmetric with respect to negative and positive yaw angles. A counter-rotating vortex pair is detected creating a kidney-shaped velocity deficit for all inflow conditions. Exposing the rotor to non-uniform highly turbulent shear inflow changes the mean and turbulent wake characteristics only insignificantly. At low inflow turbulence the curled wake shape and wake center deflection are more pronounced than at high inflow turbulence. For a yawed turbine the rotor-generated turbulence profiles peak in regions of strong mean velocity gradients, while the levels of peak turbulence decrease at approximately the same rate as the rotor thrust.

Influence of ground roughness on the wake of a yawed wind turbine - a comparison of wind-tunnel measurements and model predictions

Wind-tunnel measurements in the wake of a three bladed horizontal axis wind turbine model (HAWT) operating in yawed conditions are presented. Measurements are made at a constant tip speed ratio within two neutrally-stratified turbulent boundary layers of different aerodynamic roughness length to investigate its influence on the wake trajectory. It is found that the wake is less deflected with increasing terrain roughness. The recorded flow field is then used to assess the predictive capability of two analytical wake models.

Harmonic balance Navier‐Stokes aerodynamic analysis of horizontal axis wind turbines in yawed wind

AbstractMultimegawatt horizontal axis wind turbines often operate in yawed wind transients, in which the resulting periodic loads acting on blades, drive‐train, tower, and foundation adversely impact on fatigue life. Accurately predicting yawed wind turbine aerodynamics and resulting structural loads can be challenging and would require the use of computationally expensive high‐fidelity unsteady Navier‐Stokes computational fluid dynamics. The high computational cost of this approach can be significantly reduced by using a frequency‐domain framework. The paper summarizes the main features of the COSA harmonic balance Navier‐Stokes solver for the analysis of open rotor periodic flows, presents initial validation results on the basis of the analysis of the NREL Phase VI experiment, and it also provides a sample application to the analysis of a multimegawatt turbine in yawed wind. The reported analyses indicate that the harmonic balance solver determines the considered periodic flows from 30 to 50 times faster than the conventional time‐domain approach with negligible accuracy penalty to the latter.

A New Analytical Wake Model for Yawed Wind Turbines

A new analytical wake model for wind turbines, considering ambient turbulence intensity, thrust coefficient and yaw angle effects, is proposed from numerical and analytical studies. First, eight simulations by the Reynolds Stress Model are conducted for different thrust coefficients, yaw angles and ambient turbulence intensities. The wake deflection, mean velocity and turbulence intensity in the wakes are systematically investigated. A new wake deflection model is then proposed to analytically predict the wake center trajectory in the yawed condition. Finally, the effects of yaw angle are incorporated in the Gaussian-based wake model. The wake deflection, velocity deficit and added turbulence intensity in the wake predicted by the proposed model show good agreement with the numerical results. The model parameters are determined as the function of ambient turbulence intensity and thrust coefficient, which enables the model to have good applicability under various conditions.

Modelling yawed wind turbine wakes: a lifting line approach

Yawing wind turbines has emerged as an appealing method for wake deflection. However, the associated flow properties, including the magnitude of the transverse velocity associated with yawed turbines, are not fully understood. In this paper, we view a yawed turbine as a lifting surface with an elliptic distribution of transverse lift. Prandtl’s lifting line theory provides predictions for the transverse velocity and magnitude of the shed counter-rotating vortex pair known to form downstream of the yawed turbine. The streamwise velocity deficit behind the turbine can then be obtained using classical momentum theory. This new model for the near-disk inviscid region of the flow is compared to numerical simulations and found to yield more accurate predictions of the initial transverse velocity and wake skewness angle than existing models. We use these predictions as initial conditions in a wake model of the downstream evolution of the turbulent wake flow and compare predicted wake deflection with measurements from wind tunnel experiments.

Wake Deflection in Long Distance From a Yawed Wind Turbine

Since it is important to prevent the wake produced by upstream wind turbines from interfering with downstream wind turbines, a method of deflecting such wakes is desired. In this paper, we present the coupled analysis results of a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation involving a three-bladed rigid wind turbine with a yaw control system that utilizes rFlow3D CFD code, which was developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), primarily for rotorcraft use. Herein, a three-dimensional (3D), compressible, and unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equation with a Spalart–Allmaras turbulence model is adopted as the governing equation. In this study, wind turbine computations using various wind turbine yaw angles are performed while focusing on the resulting wake velocity distribution and aerodynamic loads, after which the influences of the yaw angle are discussed. Next, based on the wake velocity distribution results for each yaw angle, we move on to a wake interference avoidance simulation for downstream wind turbines that utilizes two prepared wind turbines. Through this study, the following characteristics were confirmed. The results show wake deflection produced by adding yaw angle can provide a sufficient wake skew angle even in far-wake events. Furthermore, the yaw angle introduction accelerates the progression of vortex dissipation and brings about early velocity recovery in the wake region. Simultaneously, the introduction decreases the power generation amount of the yawed upstream wind turbine and increases the fatigue load of flapwise moment added to the blade root. In this paper, the details of flow field, oscillation, and the yawed wind turbine performance characteristics will also be described.

Comparative study on the wake deflection behind yawed wind turbine models

In this wind tunnel campaign, detailed wake measurements behind two different model wind turbines in yawed conditions were performed. The wake deflections were quantified by estimating the rotor-averaged available power within the wake. By using two different model wind turbines, the influence of the rotor design and turbine geometry on the wake deflection caused by a yaw misalignment of 30° could be judged. It was found that the wake deflections three rotor diameters downstream were equal while at six rotor diameters downstream insignificant differences were observed. The results compare well with previous experimental and numerical studies.

Investigation of the Rotor Wake of Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine under Yawed Condition

The wake and the lack of existing velocity behind the wind turbine affect the energy production and the mechanical integrity of wind turbines downstream in the wind farms. This paper presents an investigation of the unsteady flow around a wind turbine under yawed condition. The simulations and experimental measures are made for the yaw angle rotor 30° and 0°. The wind velocity is 9.3 m/s and the rotation velocity rotor of the wind turbine in 1300, 1500 and 1800 rpm. The wind turbine rotor which is modeled is of a commercial wind turbine i.e. Rutland 503. The approach Improved Delayed Detached Eddy Simulation (IDDES) based on the SST turbulence model is used in the modeling of the flow. The solutions are obtained by using the solver which uses finite volume method. The particle image velocimetry (PIV) method is used in wind tunnel measurements in the experimental laboratory of the ENSAM Paris-Tech. The yawed downstream wake of the rotor is compared with that obtained by the experimental measurements. The results illustrate perfectly the development of the near and far wake of the rotor operation. It is observed that the upstream wind turbine yawed will have a positive impact on the power of the downstream turbine due the distance reduction of the downstream wake of the wind turbine. However the power losses are important for yawed wind turbine when compared with the wind turbine without yaw. The improved understanding of the unsteady environmental of the Horizontal Axis wind Turbine allows optimizing wind turbine structures and the number of wind turbines in wind farms.

Experimental and theoretical study of wind turbine wakes in yawed conditions

This work is dedicated to systematically studying and predicting the wake characteristics of a yawed wind turbine immersed in a turbulent boundary layer. To achieve this goal, wind tunnel experiments were performed to characterize the wake of a horizontal-axis wind turbine model. A high-resolution stereoscopic particle image velocimetry system was used to measure the three velocity components in the turbine wake under different yaw angles and tip-speed ratios. Moreover, power and thrust measurements were carried out to analyse the performance of the wind turbine. These detailed wind tunnel measurements were then used to perform a budget study of the continuity and Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations for the wake of a yawed turbine. This theoretical analysis revealed some notable features of the wakes of yawed turbines, such as the asymmetric distribution of the wake skew angle with respect to the wake centre. Under highly yawed conditions, the formation of a counter-rotating vortex pair in the wake cross-section as well as the vertical displacement of the wake centre were shown and analysed. Finally, this study enabled us to develop general governing equations upon which a simple and computationally inexpensive analytical model was built. The proposed model aims at predicting the wake deflection and the far-wake velocity distribution for yawed turbines. Comparisons of model predictions with the wind tunnel measurements show that this simple model can acceptably predict the velocity distribution in the far wake of a yawed turbine. Apart from the ability of the model to predict wake flows in yawed conditions, it can provide valuable physical insight on the behaviour of turbine wakes in this complex situation.

Estimating the wake deflection downstream of a wind turbine in different atmospheric stabilities: an LES study

Abstract. An intentional yaw misalignment of wind turbines is currently discussed as one possibility to increase the overall energy yield of wind farms. The idea behind this control is to decrease wake losses of downstream turbines by altering the wake trajectory of the controlled upwind turbines. For an application of such an operational control, precise knowledge about the inflow wind conditions, the magnitude of wake deflection by a yawed turbine and the propagation of the wake is crucial. The dependency of the wake deflection on the ambient wind conditions as well as the uncertainty of its trajectory are not sufficiently covered in current wind farm control models. In this study we analyze multiple sources that contribute to the uncertainty of the estimation of the wake deflection downstream of yawed wind turbines in different ambient wind conditions. We find that the wake shapes and the magnitude of deflection differ in the three evaluated atmospheric boundary layers of neutral, stable and unstable thermal stability. Uncertainty in the wake deflection estimation increases for smaller temporal averaging intervals. We also consider the choice of the method to define the wake center as a source of uncertainty as it modifies the result. The variance of the wake deflection estimation increases with decreasing atmospheric stability. Control of the wake position in a highly convective environment is therefore not recommended.

Predictions of the cycle-to-cycle aerodynamic loads on a yawed wind turbine blade under stalled conditions using a 3D empirical stochastic model

This paper investigates a new approach to model the stochastic variations in the aerodynamic loads on yawed wind turbines experienced at high angles of attack. The method applies the one-dimensional Langevin equation in conjunction with known mean and standard deviation values for the lift and drag data. The method is validated using the experimental data from the NREL Phase VI rotor in which the mean and standard deviation values for the lift and drag are derived through the combined use of blade pressure measurements and a free-wake vortex model. Given that direct blade pressure measurements are used, 3D flow effects arising from the co-existence of dynamic stall and stall delay are taken into account. The model is an important step towards verification of several assumptions characterized as the estimated standard deviation, Gaussian white noise of the data and the estimated drift and diffusion coefficients of the Langevin equation. The results using the proposed assumptions lead to a good agreement with measurements over a wide range of operating conditions. This provides motivation to implement a general fully independent theoretical stochastic model within a rotor aerodynamics model, such as the free-wake vortex or blade-element momentum code, whereby the mean lift and drag coefficients can be estimated using 2D aerofoil data with correction models for 3D dynamic stall and stall delay phenomena, while the corresponding standard derivations are estimated through CFD.

Characterizing power performance and wake of a wind turbine under yaw and blade pitch

AbstractWind turbine wakes have been recognized as a key issue causing underperformance in existing wind farms. In order to improve the performance and reduce the cost of energy from wind farms, one approach is to develop innovative methods to improve the net capacity factor by reducing wake losses. The output power and characteristics of the wake of a utility‐scale wind turbine under yawed flow is studied to explore the possibility of improving the overall performance of wind farms. Preliminary observations show that the power performance of a turbine does not degrade significantly under yaw conditions up to approximately 10°. Additionally, a yawed wind turbine may be able to deflect its wake in the near‐wake region, changing the wake trajectory downwind, with the progression of the far wake being dependent on several atmospheric factors such as wind streaks. Changes in the blade pitch angle also affect the characteristics of the turbine wake and are also examined in this paper. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Validation of the Actuator Line Model for Simulating Flows past Yawed Wind Turbine Rotors

The Actuator Line/Navier-Stokes model is validated against wind tunnel measurements for flows past the yawed MEXICO rotor and past the yawed NREL Phase VI rotor. The MEXICO rotor is operated at a rotational speed of 424 rpm, a pitch angle of −2.3˚, wind speeds of 10, 15, 24 m/s and yaw angles of 15˚, 30˚ and 45˚. The computed loads as well as the velocity field behind the yawed MEXICO rotor are compared to the detailed pressure and PIV measurements which were carried out in the EU funded MEXICO project. For the NREL Phase VI rotor, computations were carried out at a rotational speed of 90.2 rpm, a pitch angle of 3˚, a wind speed of 5 m/s and yaw angles of 10˚ and 30˚. The computed loads are compared to the loads measured from pressure measurement.

Estimation of loads on a horizontal axis wind turbine operating in yawed flow conditions

AbstractStereoscopic particle image velocimetry (SPIV) has been used to characterize the flow around the blade of a yawed horizontal axis wind turbine model. The goal was to assess the possibility of obtaining the 3D velocity field around the blade, the pressure distribution, and the aerodynamic loads being exerted on the blade under unsteady flow conditions. The SPIV equipment was mounted on a traverse system and provided with phase‐locked velocity planes perpendicular to the blade axis, scanning the blade from the root to the tip, at three different azimuthal positions, so as to have information of the time variation of the flow. The pressure distribution and the aerodynamic loads on each plane were obtained via 3D formulation. Main differences encountered when measuring loads in yawed flow compared with axial flow have been discussed. Finally, the consistency of the results with similar results obtained computationally with a panel model was assessed. The proposed methodology presents one step further in the application of SPIV to measure forces on a horizontal axis wind turbine, assessing the possibility of estimating the blade loads when the turbine is operating under non‐axial flow conditions, with the goal of better simulating real working operating regimes in a wind farm, where the flow is typically not uniform. The proposed methodology could be developed and used to better understand relevant wind energy issues such as dynamic loading and active load control efficiency, in the future. The processed and averaged flow fields from the experimental SPIV data are made available online to the reader. See appendix for description of the files. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Experimental study of yawed inflow around wind turbine rotor

In this article, we present an experimental study in a wind tunnel of a three-bladed, Rutland 503 model, horizontal axis yawed wind turbine. Power measurement and an exploration downstream wake of the turbine using particle image velocimetry measurements are performed. The variation of power coefficient as a function of rotational velocity is presented for different yaw angles. The results show a loss of power from the wind turbine when the yaw angle increases. The velocity field of the downstream wake of the rotor is presented in an azimuth plane, which passes through the symmetry axis of the rotor. The instantaneous velocity field is measured and recorded to allow for obtaining the averaged velocity field. The results also show variations in the wake downstream due to decelerating flow caused by the yawed turbine rotor. Analysis of this data shows that the active control of yaw angles could be an advantage to preserve the power from the wind turbine and that details near rotor wake are important for wake theories and to predict the performance of wind turbines as well.