Laboratory experiments were performed on a geometrically scaled vertical-axis wind turbine model over an unprecedented range of Reynolds numbers, including and exceeding those of the full-scale turbine. The study was performed in the high-pressure environment of the Princeton High Reynolds number Test Facility (HRTF). Utilizing highly compressed air as the working fluid enabled extremely high Reynolds numbers while still maintaining dynamic similarity by matching the tip speed ratio (defined as the ratio of tip velocity to free stream, $\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}=\unicode[STIX]{x1D714}R/U$) and Mach number (defined at the turbine tip, $Ma=\unicode[STIX]{x1D714}R/a$). Preliminary comparisons are made with measurements from the full-scale field turbine. Peak power for both the field data and experiments resides around $\unicode[STIX]{x1D706}=1$. In addition, a systematic investigation of trends with Reynolds number was performed in the laboratory, which revealed details about the asymptotic behaviour. It was shown that the parameter that characterizes invariance in the power coefficient was the Reynolds number based on blade chord conditions ($Re_{c}$). The power coefficient reaches its asymptotic value when $Re_{c}>1.5\times 10^{6}$, which is higher than what the field turbine experiences. The asymptotic power curve is found, which is invariant to further increases in Reynolds number.
This study examined three-dimensional, volumetric mean velocity fields and corresponding performance measurements for an isolated vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT) and for co- and counter-rotating pairs of VAWTs with varying incident wind direction and turbine spacings. The purpose was to identify turbine configurations and flow mechanisms that can improve the power densities of VAWT arrays in wind farms. All experiments were conducted at a Reynolds number of R e D = 7.3 × 10 4 . In the paired arrays, performance enhancement was observed for both the upstream and downstream turbines. Increases in downstream turbine performance correlate with bluff–body accelerations around the upstream turbine, which increase the incident freestream velocity on the downstream turbine in certain positions. Decreases in downstream turbine performance are determined by its position in the upstream turbine’s wake. Changes in upstream turbine performance are related to variations in the surrounding flow field due to the presence of the downstream rotor. For the most robust array configuration studied, an average 14% increase in array performance over approximately a 50° range of wind direction was observed. Additionally, three-dimensional vortex interactions behind pairs of VAWT were observed that can replenish momentum in the wake by advection rather than turbulent diffusion. These effects and their implications for wind-farm design are discussed.
Numerical investigation of the yawed wake and its effects on the downstream wind turbine J. Renewable Sustainable Energy 8, 033303 (2016) Increased power production is observed in downstream vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWTs) when positioned offset from the wake of upstream turbines. This effect is found to exist in both laboratory and field environments with pairs of co-and counter-rotating turbines, respectively. It is hypothesized that the observed production enhancement is due to flow acceleration adjacent to the upstream turbine due to bluff body blockage, which would increase the incident freestream velocity on appropriately positioned downstream turbines. A low-order model combining potential flow and actuator disk theory captures this effect. Additional laboratory and field experiments further validate the predictive capabilities of the model. Finally, an evolutionary algorithm reveals patterns in optimized VAWT arrays with various numbers of turbines. A "truss-shaped" array is identified as a promising configuration to optimize energy extraction in VAWT wind farms by maximizing the performance enhancement of downstream turbines. Published by AIP Publishing.
This study focuses on wind tunnel testing of a 3-bladed H-rotor vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) under various conditions. Different performance metrics such as power coefficient (CP ), thrust load coefficient (CX ), and lateral load coefficient (CY ) are presented at four wind speeds. Parked loads, which are key parameters in designing VAWTs, are reported for the baseline case. Apart from presenting the benchmark results for the baseline model, the impact of two control strategies to boost the energy production of the VAWT are investigated. First, the effect of installing the plasma actuators on all blades is tested at four plasma input voltages. The results indicate that plasma actuators are an efficient approach to enhance the aerodynamic efficiency of VAWTs through modification of drag and lift loads acting on the blades. The second control strategy evaluated is intracycle RPM control. In this control method, the rotational speed of the turbine is varied with the azimuthal location of blades at each cycle so that the power production is increased. The results observed for this control strategy encourage further research development to expand the limited knowledge on its application for VAWTs.
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