Fluid–structure interaction in downstream wind turbine: Spacing-dependent structural loads and responses to upstream wake
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: With the continuous and progressive growth in the sizes of wind turbines, the aeroelastic phenomenon of turbines in multi-turbine setups is crucial for the safety of downstream turbines affected by wake interactions. This study utilizes LES turbulent model and introduces a novel FSI method to analyze structural loads and responses of downstream turbines under various wind conditions, turbine spacings, and structural flexibility scenarios. The study offers an in-depth examination of load time histories and displacement responses at key locations on downstream turbines. It evaluates the time series loads, statistical properties, exceedance probability curves, EFL, and PSD curves across various scenarios. The results indicate that the presence of upstream wake reduces the loads on the downstream turbine, while the load gradually increases as the spacing between the turbines grows, a phenomenon most pronounced under ABL conditions. At 4D spacing, [[EQUATION]] at blade root, [[EQUATION]] and [[EQUATION]] at tower bottom increase by 14.1%, 14.7%, and 19.5%, respectively, compared to 2D spacing under turbulent wind conditions. Scenarios considering turbine flexibility exhibit higher EFL, and increasing the turbine spacing further amplifies EFL on the downstream turbine. In contrast to the 2D spacing, the EFL calculated from the three types of loads increased increases by 16.7%, 11.5%, and 17.8%, respectively, under the 4D spacing.
Source: Results in Engineering
Authors: Weipeng Li, Zhenqing Liu, Dongqin Zhang
Language: English
Subfield: Aerospace Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,940
OpenAlex ID: W7133783231