Modeling of wakes behind wind turbines

Abstract

Consulta en la Biblioteca ETSI Industriales (7592)

[EN] The research of wind turbine wakes has been a topic of special interest since the wind power is becoming an important energy source The objective is to quantify the reduction in wind speeds and power output and to notice any change in turbulence properties at downstream distances. Parameters as fatigue loads or annual energy production can be overestimated or underestimated if wakes effects are not taken into account, so having a full knowledge of what's happening downstream wind turbines is of great interest. This thesis presents a 2-D model to calculate wake variables for single wake turbines. An approximation to calculate multiple wakes in a row have also been presented. The turbulence has been modeled with an eddy viscosity closure. Effects of atmospheric stability and surface roughness are taken into account and a special model has been developed for offshore conditions. Findings are presented and compared with available data and comparisons between the developed model and experimental results are presented. The uncertainty of wake effects is predicted for different conditions and scenarios.