Numerical investigation of wind turbine wakes under high thrust coefficient

Journal Article · 13 October 2021 · Wind Energy

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/we.2688 · OSTI ID:1826204

Martínez‐Tossas, Luis A.  ^[1]; Branlard, Emmanuel ^[1]; Shaler, Kelsey  ^[1]; Vijayakumar, Ganesh ^[1]; Ananthan, Shreyas ^[2]; Sakievich, Philip ^[3]; Jonkman, Jason ^[1]

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1. National Renewable Energy Laboratory Golden Colorado USA
2. Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy Inc. Boulder Colorado USA
3. Sandia National Laboratories Albuquerque New Mexico USA

Abstract We study wind turbine wakes of rotors operating at high thrust coefficients ( C _T  > 24/25) using large‐eddy simulations with a rotating actuator disk model. Wind turbine wakes at high thrust coefficients are different from wakes at low thrust coefficients. Wakes behave differently at high thrust, with increased turbulence and faster recovery. Lower induction in the wake is achieved because wakes in high‐thrust conditions recover much faster than in normal operating conditions. This enhanced recovery is possible thanks to the turbulence generated in the near wake. We explore the mechanism behind this behavior and propose a simple model to reproduce it. We also propose a Gaussian fit for the wakes under high‐thrust conditions and use it use it to initialize an Ainslie type model within the FAST.Farm framework.

• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• Grant/Contract Number: NONE; NA0003525; AC36-08GO28308
• OSTI ID: 1826204
• Journal Information: Wind Energy, Journal Name: Wind Energy Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 25; ISSN 1095-4244
• Publisher: Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)Copyright Statement
• Country of Publication: United Kingdom
• Language: English