Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

A comparison of wind turbulence simulation models for stochastic loads analysis for horizontal-axis wind turbines

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:5771507

Four wind turbine turbulence codes, the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) Rotational Code, the PNL Simulation Code, the Holley Code, and the Sandia National Laboratories Code, were examined. Hub-height simulations were made with each code and were compared to hub-height wind data from the vertical plane array of anemometers at the Howden 330-kW horizontal-axis wind turbine (HAWT). Blade tip simulations were made with each code and were compared to rotational wind data taken from the Howden-330 kW HAWT. The PNL Rotational Code was given an overall rating of satisfactory for large wind turbine applications and an overall rating of good for small wind turbine applications. The PNL Simulation Code was given a rating of good when used with large turbines and a rating of very good when used with small turbines. The Holley Code and the Sandia Code were given ratings of good and satisfactory, respectively, for both large and small wind turbine applications. The Sandia Code could be upgraded if documentation were made available. Further upgrades for any of the codes would require major revision.

Research Organization:
Solar Energy Research Inst., Golden, CO (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
AC02-83CH10093
OSTI ID:
5771507
Report Number(s):
SERI/STR-217-3463; ON: DE89009442
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English