Qualification of Three Analytical Wake Models

Abstract

Abstract:The decrease of wind velocity (wake losses) in downstream area of wind turbine is generally quantified using wake models. The overall estimated power of wind farm varies according to reliability of wake model used, however it's unclear which model is most appropriate and able to give a high performance in predicting wind velocity deficit. In this subject, a qualification of three analytical wake models (Jensen, Ishihara and Frandsen) based on three principal criteria is presented in this paper: (i) the parsimony which characterizes the inverse of model complexity, (ii) the accuracy of estimation in which wake model is compared with the experimental data and (iii) imprecision that is related to assumptions and uncertainty on the value of variables considered in each model. This qualitative analysis shows the inability of wake models to predict wind velocity deficit due to the big uncertainty of variables considered and it sensitivity to wind farm characteristic.