No Arabic abstract
The estimation of extreme loads from waves is an essential part of the design of an offshore wind turbine. Standard design codes suggest to either use simplified methods based on regular waves, or to perform fully nonlinear computations. The former might not provide an accurate representation of the extreme waves, while the latter is computationally too intensive for design iterations. We address these limitations by using the fully nonlinear solver OceanWave3D to establish the DeRisk database, a large dataset of extreme waves kinematics in a two-dimensional domain. From the database, which is open and freely available, a designer can extract fully-nonlinear wave kinematics for a wave condition and water depth of interest by identifying a suitable computation in the database and, if needed, by Froude-scaling the kinematics. The nonlinear solver is validated against the DeRisk model experiments at two different water depths, $33.0 [m]$ and $20.0 [m]$, and an excellent agreement is found for the analyzed cases. The experiments are used to calibrate OceanWave3Ds numerical breaking filter constant, and the best agreement is found for $beta=0.5$. We compare the experimental static force with predictions by the DeRisk database and the Rainey force model, and with state-of-the-art industrial practices. For milder storms, we find a good agreement in the predicted extreme force between the present methodology and the standard methodologies. At the deep location and for stronger storms, the largest loads are given by slamming loads due to breaking waves. In this condition, the database methodology is less accurate than the embedded stream function method and more accurate than the WiFi JIP methodology, providing generally nonconservative estimates. For strong storms at the shallower location, where wave breaking is less dominating, the database methodology is the most accurate overall.
Motivated by the need for compact descriptions of the evolution of non-classical wakes behind yawed wind turbines, we develop an analytical model to predict the shape of curled wakes. Interest in such modelling arises due to the potential of wake steering as a strategy for mitigating power reduction and unsteady loading of downstream turbines in wind farms. We first estimate the distribution of the shed vorticity at the wake edge due to both yaw offset and rotating blades. By considering the wake edge as an ideally thin vortex sheet, we describe its evolution in time moving with the flow. Vortex sheet equations are solved using a power series expansion method, and an approximate solution for the wake shape is obtained. The vortex sheet time evolution is then mapped into a spatial evolution by using a convection velocity. Apart from the wake shape, the lateral deflection of the wake including ground effects is modelled. Our results show that there exists a universal solution for the shape of curled wakes if suitable dimensionless variables are employed. For the case of turbulent boundary layer inflow, the decay of vortex sheet circulation due to turbulent diffusion is included. Finally, we modify the Gaussian wake model by incorporating the predicted shape and deflection of the curled wake, so that we can calculate the wake profiles behind yawed turbines. Model predictions are validated against large-eddy simulations and laboratory experiments for turbines with various operating conditions.
Wind turbine wakes are the result of the extraction of kinetic energy from the incoming atmospheric wind exerted from a wind turbine rotor. Therefore, the reduced mean velocity and enhanced turbulence intensity within the wake are affected by the characteristics of the incoming wind, turbine blade aerodynamics, and the turbine control settings. In this work, LiDAR measurements of isolated wakes generated by wind turbines installed at an onshore wind farm are leveraged to characterize the variability of the wake mean velocity and turbulence intensity during typical operations encompassing a breadth of atmospheric stability regimes, levels of power capture, and, in turn, rotor thrust coefficients. For the statistical analysis of the wake velocity fields, the LiDAR measurements are clustered through a k-means algorithm, which enables to identify of the most representative realizations of the wind turbine wakes while avoiding the imposition of thresholds for the various wind and turbine parameters, which can be biased by preconceived, and potentially incorrect, notions. Considering the large number of LiDAR samples collected to probe the wake velocity field over the horizontal plane at hub height, the dimensionality of the experimental dataset is reduced by projecting the LiDAR data on an intelligently-truncated basis obtained with the proper orthogonal decomposition (POD). The coefficients of only five physics-informed POD modes, which are considered sufficient to reproduce the observed wake variability, are then injected in the k-means algorithm for clustering the LiDAR dataset. The analysis of the clustered LiDAR data, and the associated SCADA and meteorological data, enables the study of the variability of the wake velocity deficit, wake extent, and wake-added turbulence intensity for different thrust coefficients of the turbine rotor and regimes of atmospheric stability.
The evolution of crossing sea states and the emergence of rogue waves in such systems are studied via numerical simulations performed using a higher order spectral method to solve the free surface Euler equations with a flat bottom. Two classes of crossing sea states are analysed: one using directional spectra from the Draupner wave crossing at different angles, another considering a Draupner-like spectra crossed with a narrowband JONSWAP state to model spectral growth between wind sea and swell. These two classes of crossing sea states are constructed using the spectral output of a WAVEWATCH III hindcast on the Draupner rogue wave event. We measure ensemble statistical moments as functions of time, finding that although the crossing angle influences the statistical evolution to some degree, there are no significant third order effects present. Additionally, we pay particular attention to the mean sea level measured beneath extreme crest heights, the elevation of which (set up or set down) is shown to be related to the spectral content in the low wavenumber region of the corresponding spectrum.
The fluid dynamics video considers an array of two NREL 5-MW turbines separated by seven rotor diameters in a neutral atmospheric boundary layer (ABL). The neutral atmospheric boundary-layer flow data were obtained from a precursor ABL simulation using a Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) framework within OpenFOAM. The mean wind speed at hub height is 8m/s, and the surface roughness is 0.2m. The actuator line method (ALM) is used to model the wind turbine blades by means of body forces added to the momentum equation. The fluid dynamics video shows the root and tip vortices emanating from the blades from various viewpoints. The vortices become unstable and break down into large-scale turbulent structures. As the wakes of the wind turbines advect further downstream, smaller-scale turbulence is generated. It is apparent that vortices generated by the blades of the downstream wind turbine break down faster due to increased turbulence levels generated by the wake of the upstream wind turbine.
This paper presents the physical operating principles of several micro wind turbines based on different aerodynamic forces: drag-type Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) and lift-type Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine (HAWT). All these devices share the similarity of exploiting the same mechanical-to-electrical conversion: the electrostatic conversion. This type of conversion is based on capacitance variations induced by the motion between a rotor and a stator and requires a source of polarization. We will focus our study on two technologies to polarize the capacitive structure: the use of electrets and the exploitation of triboelectricity. Some experiments conducted in a low-speed wind tunnel between 0 and 20m.s-1 have highlighted power flux densities from 0 to 150{mu}W.cm-2 corresponding to power coefficients of 0 and 9% respectively. Among these results, we can especially retain an ultralow speed operation, which has never been reached until now, in terms of speed and efficiency (9% of efficiency at 1m.s-1). Finally, we will end up comparing different types of circuits to supply a temperature/acceleration sensor, in order to complete the energy harvesting chain.