Engineering models for turbine wake velocity deficit and wake deflection. A new proposed approach for onshore and offshore applications

Abstract

Abstract An engineering wake model based on the Ainslie model is proposed. The eddy viscosity term associated with momentum diffusivity is modified to take into account the effects of atmospheric stability. The parameters used are typically available from high-quality on-site measurement campaigns and the effects of atmospheric stability are based on empirical models for the estimation of the Monin-Obukhov length. The dependence on physical quantities only is particularly advantageous for fast wake modelling, since no further parametrical tuning is needed for each specific case. The proposed wake model is initially compared to wind tunnel data and CFD simulations to test the chosen Obukhov lengths for specific flow conditions. Wind farm production data and concurrent meteorological data at one onshore site are then used to validate the model for specific on-site flow conditions, obtaining good results. Two offshore wind farms are also used to assess the model in a large-scale wind farm scenario: results look promising although some reservations are expressed on the effect of the wake superposition model. Models for the prediction of wake centreline deflection due to yaw are compared at different yaw angles using wind tunnels data and CFD simulations. Although the EPFL model showed some advantage, especially in non-neutral conditions, both models give satisfactory results. Furthermore, it was showed that the wake deflection caused by the rotating wake for non-yawed turbines can have a large impact on the predictions of the centreline deflection.