Sites for wind-power installations: physical modeling of the wind field over Kahuku Point, Oahu, Hawaii. Final report

Technical Report · Mon Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1979

OSTI ID:5899402

Meroney, R N; Sandborn, V A

Oahu Island, Hawaii, is known to possess a rich wind-power resource due to the prevailing trade-wind boundary layer. The present study of wind-tunnel tests over a Kahuku Point model is to extend the value of field results and to provide detailed information for WECS installations in this region. Field measurements were used to validate the wind-tunnel results at several selected sites. A contoured model of the Kahuku Point area was prepared to an undistorted scale of 1:3840. Local terrain roughness due to topography features was simulated. The approach flow over the model was adjusted to match a typical marine trade-wind boundary layer. For three different wind directions, which encompass the predominate directions from which the Pacific trade wind blows over the Kahuku Point region, measurements of wind speed and turbulence at proposed WECS sites and 40 additional grid locations were performed. These measurements were used to produce horizontal contour plots of relative wind power.

• Research Organization: Colorado State Univ., Fort Collins (USA). Dept. of Civil Engineering
• DOE Contract Number: AS06-77ET20292
• OSTI ID: 5899402
• Report Number(s): DOE/ET/20292-79/1; ON: DE82005971
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

17 WIND ENERGY
170604* -- Wind Energy Engineering-- Site Characteristics
AVAILABILITY
DATA
DATA COMPILATION
ENERGY SOURCES
HAWAII
INFORMATION
MACHINERY
MOCKUP
NORTH AMERICA
NUMERICAL DATA
POWER
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
RESOURCE ASSESSMENT
SITE SURVEYS
STRUCTURAL MODELS
TUNNELS
TURBINES
TURBOMACHINERY
TURBULENCE
USA
WESTERN REGION
WIND POWER
WIND TUNNELS
WIND TURBINES