Wind farm modelling of tilted rotors
Year: 2024
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: This study explores the benefits of tilted rotors in wind farms, focusing on a 3x3 grid of 10MW turbines and a 153-turbine farm modelled after the Hollandse-Kust West site with 15MW turbines. Computational Fluid Dynamics models ranging from mid to higher order, including FarmFlow (Parabolic RANS), TNO-VBM (RANS), and NREL-SOWFA (LES), were validated against CL-Windcon wind tunnel measurements. Comparisons between low and high-order CFD models reveal good agreement, with LES indicating increased wake mixing. Tilted rotor simulations align well, except for the lower-order model, deviating at extreme tilt angles. Positive tilts in a 3x3 farm result in a 10% increase in sub-rated wind farm yield and a 26% reduction in peak thrust loads during post-rated conditions. However, for larger wind farm clusters, tilting the rotors can increase the production of some parts within while its overall production is not increased. The investigated results depend on the tested scenario, thus further exploration is recommended.
Language: English
Subfield: Aerospace Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4399490488