On the impact of different static induction control strategies on a wind turbine wake

Abstract

Abstract This study provides a wind tunnel investigation to identify effective ways of derating an upstream turbine for mitigating wake-induced power losses. Short-range continuous-wave lidar measurements are used to remotely map the time-averaged wake characteristics of a controllable model wind turbine under uniform inflow with negligible turbulence. The analysis focuses on comparing four distinct static induction control (SIC) strategies, each at targeted derating levels of 5 % and 10 %, against a conventional greedy strategy. The results indicate that pitch-to-feather combined with an increased tip-speed ratio is the most favourable approach for minimising wake losses in a two-turbine setup. Notably, power gains of up to 3.8 % are achieved for partial and full wake overlap conditions at 5 % derating and small turbine spacing. These observations are consistent with previous field experiments, suggesting that SIC may be advantageous in wind farms with closely spaced turbines. Overall, these findings underscore the importance of carefully selecting and understanding the implemented derating strategy for supporting wind farm flow control applications.