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One promising design solution for increasing the efficiency of modern horizontal axis wind turbines is the installation of curved tip extensions. However, introducing such complex geometries may move traditional aerodynamic models based on blade element momentum (BEM) theory out of their range of applicability. This motivated the present work, where a swept tip shape is investigated by means of both experimental and numerical tests. The latter group accounted for a wide variety of aerodynamic models, allowing us to highlight the capabilities and limitations of each of them in a relative manner. The considered swept tip shape is the result of a design optimization, focusing on locally maximizing power performance within load constraints. For the experimental tests, the tip model is instrumented with spanwise bands of pressure sensors and is tested in the Poul la Cour wind tunnel at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). The methods used for the numerical tests consisted of a blade element model, a near-wake model, lifting-line free-wake models, and a fully resolved Navier-Stokes solver. The comparison of the numerical and the experimental test results is performed for a given range of angles of attack and wind speeds, which is representative of the expected conditions in operation. Results show that the blade element model cannot predict the measured normal force coefficients, but the other methods are generally in good agreement with the measurements in attached flow. Flow visualization and pressure distribution compare well with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. The agreement in the clean case is better than in the tripped case at the inboard sections. Some uncertainties regarding the effect of the boundary layer at the inboard tunnel wall and the post-stall behavior remain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Floating offshore wind turbines are subjected to large motions due to the additional degrees of freedom of the floating foundation. The turbine rotor often operates in highly dynamic inflow conditions, and this has a significant effect on the overall aerodynamic response and turbine wake. Experiments are needed to get a deeper understanding of unsteady aerodynamics and hence leverage this knowledge to develop better models and to produce data for the validation and calibration of existing numerical tools. In this context, this paper presents a wind tunnel experiment about the unsteady aerodynamics of a floating turbine subjected to surge motion. The experiment results cover blade forces, rotor-integral forces, and wake. The 2D sectional model tests were carried out to characterize the aerodynamic coefficients of a low-Reynolds-number airfoil with harmonic variation in the angle of attack. The lift coefficient shows a hysteresis cycle close to stall, which grows in strength and extends in the linear region for motion frequencies higher than those typical of surge motion. Knowledge about the airfoil aerodynamic response was utilized to define the wind and surge motion conditions of the full-turbine experiment. The global aerodynamic turbine response is evaluated from rotor-thrust force measurements, because thrust influences the along-wind response of the floating turbine. It is found that experimental data follow predictions of quasi-steady theory for reduced frequency up to 0.5 reasonably well. For higher surge motion frequencies, unsteady effects may be present. The turbine near wake was investigated by means of hot-wire measurements. The wake energy is increased at the surge frequency, and the increment is proportional to the maximum surge velocity. A spatial analysis shows the wake energy increment corresponds with the blade tip. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) was utilized to visualize the blade-tip vortex, and it is observed that the vortex travel speed is modified in the presence of surge motion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current experiments, two identical wind turbine models were placed in uniform flow conditions in a water flume. The initial flow in the flume was subject to a very low turbulence level, limiting the influence of external disturbances on the development of the inherent wake instability. Both rotors are three-bladed and designed using blade element/lifting line (BE/LL) optimum theory at a tip-speed ratio, λ, of 5 with a constant design lift coefficient along the span, CL=0.8. Measurements of the rotor characteristics were conducted by strain sensors installed in the rotor mounting. The resulting power capacity has been studied and analyzed at different rotor positions and a range of tipspeed ratios from 2 to 8, and a simple algebraic relationship between the velocity deficit in the wake of the front turbine and the power of the second turbine was found, when both rotors have the coaxial position. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The flow around an isolated horizontal-axis wind turbine is estimated by means of a new vortex code based on the Biot-Savart law with constant circulation along the blades. The results have been compared with numerical simulations where the wind turbine blades are replaced with actuator lines. Two different wind turbines have been simulated: one with constant circulation along the blades, to replicate the vortex method approximations, and the other with a realistic circulation distribution, to compare the outcomes of the vortex model with real operative wind-turbine conditions (Tjæreborg wind turbine). The vortex model matched the numerical simulation of the turbine with constant blade circulation in terms of the near-wake structure and local forces along the blade. The results from the Tjæreborg turbine case showed some discrepancies between the two approaches, but overall, the agreement is qualitatively good, validating the analytical method for more general conditions. The present results show that a simple vortex code is able to provide an estimation of the flow around the wind turbine similar to the actuator-line approach but with a negligible computational effort. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A floating Tension Leg Platform (TLP) wind turbine was constructed at scale 1/200 and its dynamic response was analysed experimentally in co-directional wind and waves. The wind turbine was Froude scaled and a new rotor was designed to yield maximum power and Froude scaled thrust at the low model Reynolds number. Physical limitations due to the large scaling ratio further meant that some structural adjustments were necessary. Nacelle and floater accelerations were measured by means of two accelerometers. The TLP was moored with four different tendon configurations and exposed to different constant wind speeds and irregular sea states as well as a range of regular waves. It was found that an increase in wind speed reduces the wave-induced floater motion but causes slightly larger nacelle displacements. Further, the orientation of the spokes relative to the direction of wind and waves influences the pitch stiffness and thereby the nacelle displacements. Inclining the tendons towards the wind turbine reduces the nacelle displacements significantly and reduces the occurrence of slack tendons, but increases the inline tilt-motion of the rotor. Application of a very stiff mooring configuration increases the occurrence of slack tendons and the magnitude of the pitch accelerations. In a robust commercial design, however, slack tendons must be avoided. The experiments demonstrate the ability of the wind turbine model and the experimental setup to give insight to the dynamic characteristics of floating TLP wind turbines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT A method of generating a synthetic ambient wind field in neutral atmosphere is described and verified for modelling the effect of wind shear and turbulence on a wind turbine wake using the flow solver EllipSys3D. The method uses distributed volume forces to represent turbulent fluctuations, superimposed on top of a mean deterministic shear layer consistent with that used in the IEC standard for wind turbine load calculations. First, the method is evaluated by running a series of large-eddy simulations in an empty domain, where the imposed turbulence and wind shear is allowed to reach a fully developed stage in the domain. The performance of the method is verified by comparing the turbulence intensity and spectral distribution of the turbulent energy to the spectral distribution of turbulence generated by the IEC suggested Mann model. Second, the synthetic turbulence and wind shear is used as input for simulations with a wind turbine, represented by an actuator line model, to evaluate the development of turbulence in a wind turbine wake. The resulting turbulence intensity and spectral distribution, as well as the meandering of the wake, are compared to field data. Overall, the performance of the synthetic methods is found to be adequate to model atmospheric turbulence, and the wake flow results of the model are in good agreement with field data. An investigation is also carried out to estimate the wake transport velocity, used to model wake meandering in lower-order models. The conclusion is that the appropriate transport velocity of the wake lies somewhere between the centre velocity of the wake deficit and the free stream velocity. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT A simple model for including the influence of the atmospheric boundary layer in connection with large eddy simulations of wind turbine wakes is presented and validated by comparing computed results with measurements as well as with direct numerical simulations. The model is based on an immersed boundary type technique where volume forces are used to introduce wind shear and atmospheric turbulence. The application of the model for wake studies is demonstrated by combining it with the actuator line method, and predictions are compared with field measurements. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The turbulence in the interior of a wind farm is simulated using large eddy simulation and the actuator line technique implemented in the Navier–Stokes equations. The simulations are carried out for an infinitely long row of turbines simulated by applying cyclic boundary conditions at the inlet and outlet. The simulations investigate the turbulence inherent to the wind turbines as no ambient turbulence or shear is added to this idealised case. The simulated data give insight into the performance of the wind turbines operating in the wake of others as well as details on key turbulent quantities. One of the key features of wakes behind wind turbines is the dynamic wake meandering, which is shown to be related to the wind turbine spacing and the vortex shedding from the turbine as a bluff body. The flow is analysed and reconstructed by applying proper orthogonal decomposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An analytical model for representing body forces in numerical actuator disc models of wind turbines is developed and validated. The model is based on the assumption that the rotor disc is subject to a constant circulation modified for tip and root effects. The model comprises expressions for both the axial and the azimuthal force distributions, and is generalized to be utilized for all kinds of inflow, including wind shear, turbulence, and shadow effects in wind farms. The advantage of the model is that it does not depend on any detailed knowledge concerning the wind turbine being analysed, but only requires knowledge regarding the rated wind speed and nameplate capacity. To validate the analytical model, results are compared to numerically generated results using detailed information regarding geometry and airfoil data for the 2 MW Tjaereborg wind turbine and the 10 MW DTU reference turbine. The comparisons show very good agreement between the loadings using the new analytical model and the airfoil data based method for the two tested wind turbines, demonstrating that the analytical model is a simple and reliable way of introducing body forces in actuator disc simulations without any prior knowledge of the wind turbine being analysed. • An analytical body force model for actuator disc models of wind turbines developed. • The method only requires rated wind speed and nameplate capacity as input. • The model includes both axial and azimuthal load distributions. • Validations show an exceptional good agreement with the more detailed modeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]