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Title: Evolution of eddy viscosity in the wake of a wind turbine

Journal Article · · Wind Energy Science (Online)
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [2];  [1];  [2];  [1]
  1. Portland State University, Portland, OR (United States)
  2. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
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The eddy viscosity hypothesis is a popular method in wind turbine wake modeling for estimating turbulent Reynolds stresses. We document the downstream evolution of eddy viscosity in the wake of a wind turbine from experimental and large-eddy-simulation data. Wake eddy viscosity is isolated from its surroundings by subtracting the inflow profile, and the driving forces are identified in each wake region. Eddy viscosity varies in response to changes in turbine geometry and nacelle misalignment with larger turbines generating stronger velocity gradients and shear stresses. We propose a model for eddy viscosity based on a Rayleigh distribution. Model parameters are obtained from scaling the eddy viscosity hypothesis and demonstrate satisfactory agreement with the reference data. The model is implemented in the curled wake formulation in the FLOw Redirection and Induction in Steady State (FLORIS) framework and assessed through comparisons with the previous formulation. Our approach produced more accurate flow field estimates with lower total error for the majority of cases.

Research Organization:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Wind Energy Technologies Office
Grant/Contract Number:
AC36-08GO28308
OSTI ID:
2005559
Report Number(s):
NREL/JA-5000-87589; MainId:88364; UUID:c1b077d7-9713-4692-9d39-e8f0bad68354; MainAdminID:70703
Journal Information:
Wind Energy Science (Online), Vol. 8, Issue 3; ISSN 2366-7451
Publisher:
Copernicus PublicationsCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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17 WIND ENERGY
curled wake model
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