Vortex Shedding and Frequency Lock in on Stand Still Wind Turbines: A Baseline Experiment

Abstract

During the commissioning and stand-still cycles of wind turbines, the rotor is often stopped or even locked leaving the rotor blades at a standstill. When the blades are at a stand still, angles of attack on the blades can be very high and it is therefore possible that they experience vortex induced vibrations. This experiment and analysis helps to explain the different regimes of flow at very high angles of attack, particularly on moderately twisted and tapered blades. A single blade was tested at two different flow velocities at a range of angles of attack with flow tuft visualisation and hotwire measurements of the wake. Hotwire wake measurements were able to show the gradual inception and ending of certain flow regimes. The power spectral densities of these measurements were normalized in terms of Strouhal number based on the projected chord to show that certain wake features have a relatively constant Strouhal number. The shedding frequency appears then to be relatively independent of chord taper and twist. Vortex generators were tested but were found to have little influence in this case. Gurney flaps were found to modify the wake geometry, stall onset angles and in some cases the shedding frequency.