An official website of the United States government
Turbulent wake flows behind helical- and straight-bladed vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) in boundary layer turbulence are numerically studied using the large-eddy simulation (LES) method combined with the actuator line model. Based on the LES data, systematic statistical analyses are performed to explore the effects of blade geometry on the characteristics of the turbine wake. The time-averaged velocity fields show that the helical-bladed VAWT generates a mean vertical velocity along the center of the turbine wake, which causes a vertical inclination of the turbine wake and alters the vertical gradient of the mean streamwise velocity. Consequently, the intensities of the turbulent fluctuations and Reynolds shear stresses are also affected by the helical-shaped blades when compared with those in the straight-bladed VAWT case. The LES results also show that reversing the twist direction of the helical-bladed VAWT causes the spatial patterns of the turbulent wake flow statistics to be reversed in the vertical direction. Moreover, the mass and kinetic energy transports in the turbine wakes are directly visualized using the transport tube method, and the comparison between the helical- and straight-bladed VAWT cases show significant differences in the downstream evolution of the transport tubes.
more »
« less
Large-eddy simulations of turbulent flows in arrays of helical- and straight-bladed vertical-axis wind turbines
Effects of helical-shaped blades on the flow characteristics and power production of finite-length wind farms composed of vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWTs) are studied numerically using large-eddy simulation (LES). Two helical-bladed VAWTs (with opposite blade twist angles) are studied against one straight-bladed VAWT in different array configurations with coarse, intermediate, and tight spacings. Statistical analysis of the LES data shows that the helical-bladed VAWTs can improve the mean power production in the fully developed region of the array by about 4.94%–7.33% compared with the corresponding straight-bladed VAWT cases. The helical-bladed VAWTs also cover the azimuth angle more smoothly during the rotation, resulting in about 47.6%–60.1% reduction in the temporal fluctuation of the VAWT power output. Using the helical-bladed VAWTs also reduces the fatigue load on the structure by significantly reducing the spanwise bending moment (relative to the bottom base), which may improve the longevity of the VAWT system to reduce the long-term maintenance cost.
more »
« less
- Award ID(s):
- 1804214
- PAR ID:
- 10479400
- Publisher / Repository:
- AIP Publishing
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy
- Volume:
- 15
- Issue:
- 6
- ISSN:
- 1941-7012
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
-
null (Ed.)To design and optimize arrays of vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWTs) for maximal power density and minimal wake losses, a careful consideration of the inherently three-dimensional structure of the wakes of these turbines in real operating conditions is needed. Accordingly, a new volumetric particle-tracking velocimetry method was developed to measure three-dimensional flow fields around full-scale VAWTs in field conditions. Experiments were conducted at the Field Laboratory for Optimized Wind Energy (FLOWE) in Lancaster, CA, using six cameras and artificial snow as tracer particles. Velocity and vorticity measurements were obtained for a 2 kW turbine with five straight blades and a 1 kW turbine with three helical blades, each at two distinct tip-speed ratios and at Reynolds numbers based on the rotor diameter $$D$$ between $$1.26 \times 10^{6}$$ and $$1.81 \times 10^{6}$$ . A tilted wake was observed to be induced by the helical-bladed turbine. By considering the dynamics of vortex lines shed from the rotating blades, the tilted wake was connected to the geometry of the helical blades. Furthermore, the effects of the tilted wake on a streamwise horseshoe vortex induced by the rotation of the turbine were quantified. Lastly, the implications of this dynamics for the recovery of the wake were examined. This study thus establishes a fluid-mechanical connection between the geometric features of a VAWT and the salient three-dimensional flow characteristics of its near-wake region, which can potentially inform both the design of turbines and the arrangement of turbines into highly efficient arrays.more » « less
-
Abstract The aerodynamics of vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) are inherently unsteady because the blades experience large angle of attack variations throughout a full turbine revolution. At low tip speed ratios, this can lead to a phenomenon known as dynamic stall. To better characterise the unsteady aerodynamics and represent them in models and simulations, data from studies of individual static or pitching airfoils are often applied to VAWT blades. However, these studies often involve sinusoidally pitching airfoils, whereas the pitching motions experienced by VAWTs are more complex. Here, the pressures and forces on an airfoil undergoing VAWT-shaped pitch motions corresponding to various tip speed ratios are compared to those of a sinusoidally pitching airfoil in order to assess whether a sinusoidal motion represents a reasonable approximation of the motions of a VAWT blade. While the lift development induced by the sinusoidal motion yields good agreement with that induced by the VAWT-shaped motion at the higher tip speed ratios, notable discrepancies exist at the lower tip speed ratios, where the VAWT motion itself deviates more from the sinusoid. Comparison with sinusoidal motions at reduced frequencies corresponding to the upstroke or downstroke of the VAWT-shaped motion yield better agreement in terms of the angle of stall onset.more » « less
-
Abstract The variety of configurations for vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWTs) make the development of universal scaling relationships for even basic performance parameters difficult. Rotor geometry changes can be characterized using the concept of solidity, defined as the ratio of solid rotor area to the swept area. However, few studies have explored the effect of this parameter at full-scale conditions due to the challenge of matching both the non-dimensional rotational rate (or tip speed ratio) and scale (or Reynolds number) in conventional wind tunnels. In this study, experiments were conducted on a VAWT model using a specialized compressed-air wind tunnel where the density can be increased to over 200 times atmospheric air. The number of blades on the model was altered to explore how solidity affects performance while keeping other geometric parameters, such as the ratio of blade chord to rotor radius, the same. These data were collected at conditions relevant to the field-scale VAWT but in the controlled environment of the lab. For the three highest solidity rotors (using the most blades), performance was found to depend similarly on the Reynolds number, despite changes in rotational effects. This result has direct implications for the modelling and design of high-solidity field-scale VAWTs.more » « less
-
Combined wake steering and induction control is a promising strategy for increasing collective wind farm power production over standard turbine control. However, computationally efficient models for predicting optimal control set points still need to be tested against high-fidelity simulations, particularly in regimes of high rotor thrust. In this study, large eddy simulations (LES) are used to investigate a two-turbine array using actuator disk modeling in conventionally neutral atmospheric conditions. The thrust coefficient and yaw-misalignment angle are independently prescribed to the upwind turbine in each simulation while downwind turbine operation is fixed. Analyzing the LES velocity fields shows that near-wake length decreases and wake recovery rate increases with increasing thrust. We model the wake behavior with a physics-based near-wake and induction model coupled with a Gaussian far-wake model. The near-wake model predicts the turbine thrust and power depending on the wake steering and induction control set point. The initial wake velocities predicted by the near-wake model are validated against LES data, and a calibrated far-wake model is used to estimate the power maximizing control set point and power gain. Both model-predicted and LES optimal set points exhibit increases in yaw angle and thrust coefficient for the leading turbine relative to standard control. The model-optimal set point predicts a power gain of 18.1% while the LES optimal set point results in a power gain of 20.7%. In contrast, using a tuned cosine model for the power-yaw relationship results in a set point with a lower magnitude of yaw, a thrust coefficient lower than in standard control, and predicts a power gain of 13.7%. Using the physics-based, model-predicted set points in LES results in a power within 1.5% of optimal, showing potential for joint yaw-induction control as a method for predictably increasing wind farm power output.more » « less
- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
-
Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0172007
