Potential of the Virtual Blade Model in the analysis of wind turbine wakes using wind tunnel blind tests. (September 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bianchini, Alessandro; Balduzzi, Francesco; Gentiluomo, Domenico; Ferrara, Giovanni; Ferrari, Lorenzo
• Is Part Of: Energy procedia. Volume 126(2017)
• Page Start: 573
• Page End: 580
• Publication Date: 2017-09
• Subjects: wind turbine -- VBM -- wake -- wind tunnel -- CFD; Power resources -- Congresses; Power resources -- Periodicals; Power resources; Conference proceedings; Periodicals; 333.7905
• DOI: 10.1016/j.egypro.2017.08.212
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1876-6102

Abstract

Abstract: The present research frontier on wind turbine wake analysis is leading to a massive use of large-eddy simulations to completely solve the flow field surrounding the rotors; on the other hand, there is still room for lower-fidelity models with a more affordable computational cost to be used in extended optimization analyses, e.g. for a park layout definition. In this study, a customized version of the Virtual Blade Model (VBM) for ANSYS ® FLUENT ® is presented. The model allows a hybrid solution of the flow, in which the surrounding environment is simulated through a conventional RANS approach, while blades are replaced by a body force, calculated by a simplified version of the Blade Element Theory. The potential of the newly-customized VBM was evaluated by applying it to the famous NOWITECH-NORCOWE blind tests for horizontal axis wind turbines. Several test cases were analyzed and discussed including: 1) a single turbine; 2) an array of two turbines with one rotor working in the wake of the other one; 3) an array of two staggered rotors; 4) several configurations of rotors working in yawed-flow. The study proves that the VBM model can represent a valuable tool for the analysis of wind turbines wakes and of their interaction with near rotors.