Noise Emission of a 200 kW Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

Abstract

Abstract:The noise emission from a vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) has been investigated. A noise measurement campaign on a 200 kW straight-bladed VAWT has been conducted, and the result has been compared to a semi-empirical model for turbulent-boundary-layer trailing edge (TBL-TE) noise. The noise emission from the wind turbine was measured, at wind speed 8 m/s, 10 m above ground, to 96.2 dBA. At this wind speed, the turbine was stalling as it was run at a tip speed lower than optimal due to constructional constraints. The noise emission at a wind speed of 6 m/s, 10 m above ground was measured while operating at optimum tip speed and was found to be 94.1 dBA. A comparison with similar size horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWTs) indicates a noise emission at the absolute bottom of the range. Furthermore, it is clear from the analysis that the turbulent-boundary-layer trailing-edge noise, as modeled here, is much lower than the measured levels, which suggests that other mechanisms are likely to be important, such as inflow turbulence.

Location of aerodynamic noise sources from a 200 kW vertical-axis wind turbine

“…Initial noise-emission measurements of the 200 kW VAWT considered in this study were presented in [20], where it was suggested that the noise from VAWTs of this size is likely to be of a different origin than the trailing-edge noise dominant for large HAWTs. Location of the aerodynamic noise sources (i.e., quantifying where in the rotor volume the noise originates) is of great interest, as it allows for deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms of the noise.…”

“…For larger turbines (higher Reynolds numbers), the boundary layer will be turbulent, and the LBL-VS contribution is less important [21]. In [20] the TBL-TE noise model was applied to the current VAWT geometry. The predicted levels were far below the measured values, suggesting that inflow-turbulence noise is likely to play a dominant role for noise from a VAWT of this size as well.…”

A Review of Research on Large Scale Modern Vertical Axis Wind Turbines at Uppsala University

“…A study of the noise propagation for the 200 kW VAWT is presented in [29]. In the study, results from initial noise measurements from the 200 kW VAWT are compared with a Vestas V27 HAWT.…”

“…The noise emission from the 200 kW VAWT has been investigated in [28]. The noise emission from the wind turbine was measured at different wind speeds.…”

Performances and Stall Delays of Three Dimensional Wind Turbine Blade Plate-Models with Helicopter-Like Propeller Blade Tips

“…The noise emission of a 200 kW vertical axis wind turbine has been investigated (Möllerström, Ottermo, Hylander, & Bernhoff, 2015). The measurement of wind turbine coherent infrasound has been conducted (Vanderkooy & Mann, 2014).…”