Wind Tunnel Experiment and CFD Simulation for Multiple Wind Turbine Arrangements

Abstract

This paper experimentally and numerically investigates the interference effects of the multiple arrangements of horizontal-axis wind turbines. The 1:86 scale blades of the NREL 5-MW baseline wind turbine model is accurately constructed using a 3D printer. Its torque and power are directly measured by a designed dynamometer system installed in the experimental nacelle base. The total numbers of 2 and 3 turbines are longitudinally arranged and tested for different downwind distances up to 10D (D is the rotor diameter). Some of the test cases are also modeled and analyzed using three-dimensional unsteady computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and then compared with our experimental tests. The results for the downwind interference effect on multiple wind turbine arrangements are practically presented and investigated in this study.