scholarly journals A Large-Eddy Simulation-Based Assessment of the Risk of Wind Turbine Failures Due to Terrain-Induced Turbulence over a Wind Farm in Complex Terrain

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 1925 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takanori Uchida ◽  
Susumu Takakuwa

The first part of the present study investigated the relationship among the number of yaw gear and motor failures and turbulence intensity (TI) at all the wind turbines under investigation with the use of in situ data. The investigation revealed that wind turbine #7 (T7), which experienced a large number of failures, was affected by terrain-induced turbulence with TI that exceeded the TI presumed for the wind turbine design class to which T7 belongs. Subsequently, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation was performed to examine if the abovementioned observed wind flow characteristics could be successfully simulated. The CFD software package that was used in the present study was RIAM-COMPACT, which was developed by the first author of the present paper. RIAM-COMPACT is a nonlinear, unsteady wind prediction model that uses large-eddy simulation (LES) for the turbulence model. RIAM-COMPACT is capable of simulating flow collision, separation, and reattachment and also various unsteady turbulence–eddy phenomena that are caused by flow collision, separation, and reattachment. A close examination of computer animations of the streamwise (x) wind velocity revealed the following findings: As we predicted, wind flow that was separated from a micro-topographical feature (micro-scale terrain undulations) upstream of T7 generated large vortices. These vortices were shed downstream in a nearly periodic manner, which in turn generated terrain-induced turbulence, affecting T7 directly. Finally, the temporal change of the streamwise (x) wind velocity (a non-dimensional quantity) at the hub-height of T7 in the period from 600 to 800 in non-dimensional time was re-scaled in such a way that the average value of the streamwise (x) wind velocity for this period was 8.0 m/s, and the results of the analysis of the re-scaled data were discussed. With the re-scaled full-scale streamwise wind velocity (m/s) data (total number of data points: approximately 50,000; time interval: 0.3 s), the time-averaged streamwise (x) wind velocity and TI were evaluated using a common statistical processing procedure adopted for in situ data. Specifically, 10-min moving averaging (number of sample data points: 1932) was performed on the re-scaled data. Comparisons of the evaluated TI values to the TI values from the normal turbulence model in IEC61400-1 Ed.3 (2005) revealed the following: Although the evaluated TI values were not as large as those observed in situ, some of the evaluated TI values exceeded the values for turbulence class A, suggesting that the influence of terrain-induced turbulence on the wind turbine was well simulated.

Fluids ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 128
Author(s):  
Di Zhang ◽  
Daniel R. Cadel ◽  
Eric G. Paterson ◽  
K. Todd Lowe

A hybrid Reynolds-averaged Navier Stokes/large-eddy simulation (RANS/LES) turbulence model integrated with a transition formulation is developed and tested on a surrogate model problem through a joint experimental and computational fluid dynamic approach. The model problem consists of a circular cylinder for generating coherent unsteadiness and a downstream airfoil in the cylinder wake. The cylinder flow is subcritical, with a Reynolds number of 64,000 based upon the cylinder diameter. The quantitative dynamics of vortex shedding and Reynolds stresses in the cylinder near wake are well captured, owing to the turbulence-resolving large eddy simulation mode that was activated in the wake. The hybrid model switched between RANS and LES modes outside the boundary layers, as expected. According to the experimental and simulation results, the airfoil encountered local flow angle variations up to ±50°. Further analysis through a phase-averaging technique found phase lags in the airfoil boundary layer along the chordwise locations, and both the phase-averaged and mean velocity profiles collapsed into the Law-of-the-wall in the range of 0 < y + < 50 . The features of high blade-loading fluctuations due to unsteadiness and transitional boundary layers are of interest in the aerodynamic studies of full-scale wind turbine blades, making the current model problem a comprehensive benchmark case for future model development and validation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 511-526
Author(s):  
Zhiteng Gao ◽  
Ye Li ◽  
Tongguang Wang ◽  
Shitang Ke ◽  
Deshun Li

Author(s):  
Albert Ruprecht ◽  
Ralf Neubauer ◽  
Thomas Helmrich

The vortex instability in a spherical pipe trifurcation is investigated by applying a Very Large Eddy Simulation (VLES). For this approach an new adaptive turbulence model based on an extended version of the k-ε model is used. Applying a classical Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes-Simulation with the standard k-ε model is not able to forecast the vortex instability. However the prescribed VLES method is capable to predict this flow phenomenon. The obtained results show a reasonable agreement with measurements in a model test.


2007 ◽  
Vol 75 ◽  
pp. 012041 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Jimenez ◽  
A Crespo ◽  
E Migoya ◽  
J Garcia

2013 ◽  
Vol 149 (2) ◽  
pp. 231-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.Silva Lopes ◽  
J. M. L. M. Palma ◽  
J. Viana Lopes

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