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Modelling the induction, thrust and power of a yaw-misaligned actuator disk

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 March 2023

K.S. Heck
Affiliation:
Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
H.M. Johlas
Affiliation:
Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
M.F. Howland*
Affiliation:
Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
*
†Email address for correspondence: mhowland@mit.edu

Abstract

Collective wind farm flow control, where wind turbines are operated in an individually suboptimal strategy to benefit the aggregate farm, has demonstrated potential to reduce wake interactions and increase farm energy production. However, existing wake models used for flow control often estimate the thrust and power of yaw-misaligned turbines using simplified empirical expressions that require expensive calibration data and do not extrapolate accurately between turbine models. The thrust, wake velocity deficit, wake deflection and power of a yawed wind turbine depend on its induced velocity. Here, we extend classical one-dimensional momentum theory to model the induction of a yaw-misaligned actuator disk. Analytical expressions for the induction, thrust, initial wake velocities and power are developed as a function of the yaw angle ($\gamma$) and thrust coefficient. The analytical model is validated against large eddy simulations of a yawed actuator disk. Because the induction depends on the yaw and thrust coefficient, the power generated by a yawed actuator disk will always be greater than a $\cos ^3(\gamma )$ model suggests. The power lost due to yaw misalignment depends on the thrust coefficient. An analytical expression for the thrust coefficient that maximizes power, depending on the yaw, is developed and validated. Finally, using the developed induction model as an initial condition for a turbulent far-wake model, we demonstrate how combining wake steering and thrust (induction) control can increase array power, compared to either independent steering or induction control, due to the joint dependence of the induction on the thrust coefficient and yaw angle.

Information

Type
JFM Papers
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press
Figure 0

Figure 1. Control volume for the yawed actuator disk analysis. The streamwise and spanwise directions are $x$ and $y$, respectively. The actuator-disk-modelled wind turbine is yaw-misaligned at angle $\gamma$, where positive yaw misalignment is a counter-clockwise rotation viewed from above. As in classical momentum theory, we consider four stations for the analysis, and the flow variables are labelled with the corresponding station numbers as subscripts. The cross-sectional areas, streamwise velocities, spanwise velocities, pressures and mass flow rates are denoted $A$, $u$, $v$, $p$ and $\dot {m}$, respectively. The unit vector normal to the yawed actuator disk is shown as $\hat {n}$.

Figure 1

Figure 2. (a) Normalized power production for the yawed ADM wind turbine with $C_T^\prime =1.33$, normalized by the power production for a yaw-aligned ADM wind turbine ($P(\gamma )/P(\gamma =0)$). The LES results are shown with green dots. The model predictions are given by the ‘Yawed CV’ curve, and the limiting case $|v_4| \ll u_4$ for the model is shown. For reference, $\cos ^3(\gamma )$ and $\cos (\gamma )$ curves are shown in addition to the Glauert model (Appendix B). (b) Zoomed-in version of (a) to highlight the performance of different models. (c) Same as (a) with $\cos (\gamma )$ on the $x$-axis.

Figure 2

Figure 3. Normalized rotor-normal, rotor-averaged induction for the yawed ADM wind turbine with $C_T^\prime =1.33$. The model predictions are given by the ‘Yawed CV’ curve, and the limiting case $|v_4| \ll u_4$ for the model is shown. The Glauert model (Glauert 1926) for the rotor-averaged induction is provided in Appendix B.

Figure 3

Figure 4. (a) Normalized lateral velocity deficit with $C_T^\prime =1.33$. The model predictions for the lateral velocity depending on $C_T$ are shown by $\delta v_0(C_T)$, where $C_T=0.75$. The model predictions for the lateral velocity depending on the induction model given by (2.15) and $C_T^\prime$ are shown by $\delta v_0(C_T^\prime, a_n)$. (b) Normalized streamwise velocity deficit for the yawed ADM wind turbine with $C_T^\prime =1.33$. The model predictions are given by the ‘Yawed CV’ curve, and the limiting case $|v_4| \ll u_4$ for the model is shown.

Figure 4

Figure 5. (a) Power production for the yawed ADM wind turbine, normalized by the power production for a yaw-aligned ADM wind turbine for various values of $C_T^\prime$. (b) Coefficient of power $C_P(\gamma )$. (c) Rotor-normal, rotor-averaged induction factor $a_n(\gamma )$.

Figure 5

Figure 6. (a) Coefficient of power $C_P = 2 P(\gamma ) / (\rho A_d u_\infty ^3)$ as a function of the yaw misalignment $\gamma$ and thrust coefficient $C_T^\prime$ estimated by the model given in (2.15) and (2.16). The values of $C_T^\prime$ that maximize power for each yaw misalignment angle are shown by the red line, given as $C_T^{\prime *}(\gamma ) = 2/ \cos ^2(\gamma )$. (b) Same as (a) for LES $C_P$ results, with the disk velocity correction factor $M$ given by (3.5), and $\varDelta /D = 3h/(2D)$. (c) Same as (b) for LES $C_P$ results, with the disk velocity correction factor $M=1$, and $\varDelta /D = 0.29h/D=0.032$.

Figure 6

Figure 7. (a) Magnitude of the initial lateral velocity $|v_4|/u_\infty$ as a function of the yaw misalignment $\gamma$ and thrust coefficient $C_T^\prime$ estimated by the model given in (2.15). (b) Initial streamwise velocity $u_4/u_\infty$ as a function of the yaw misalignment $\gamma$ and thrust coefficient $C_T^\prime$ estimated by the model given in (2.15).

Figure 7

Figure 8. Collective wind farm control two-turbine case study. The turbines are spaced at $S_x/D=8$ and $S_y/D=0.5$ in the streamwise and spanwise directions, respectively. (a) Standard, individual turbine control with $C_{T,1}^\prime =2$ and $\gamma _1=0^\circ$. (b) Model-optimal collective control with $C_{T,1}^\prime =2.11$ and $\gamma _1=24^\circ$.

Figure 8

Figure 9. Wake model predictions for (a) total wind farm efficiency $\eta$, (b) freestream individual turbine $1$ efficiency, and (c) waked individual turbine $2$ efficiency. The efficiency is calculated using (4.6). The location of maximum array efficiency (highest total array power output) is indicated with a star symbol. The values of $C_T^\prime$ that maximize the total array power (turbines $1$ and $2$) for each yaw misalignment angle are shown by the dashed purple line, as predicted empirically from the wake model output. The values of $C_T^\prime$ that maximize the freestream turbine power (turbine $1$) for each yaw misalignment angle are shown by the red line, and given as $C_T^{\prime *}(\gamma ) = 2/ \cos ^2(\gamma )$. In (b), the individual freestream yaw-aligned wind turbine efficiency-maximizing thrust coefficient $C_T^{\prime *}(\gamma =0)=2$ is shown with a horizontal line.

Figure 9

Figure 10. (a) Rotor-normal induction for the yawed ADM wind turbine with $C_T^\prime =1.33$. The LES results are shown with ($M$ given by (3.5), $\varDelta /D=3h/(2D)$) and without ($M=1$, $\varDelta /D=0.29h/D=0.032$) the disk velocity $\boldsymbol {u}_d$ correction factor. The cases with and without the correction factor use a larger and smaller ADM filter width $\varDelta$, respectively. The model predictions are given by the ‘Yawed CV’ curve, and the limiting case $|v_4| \ll u_4$ is shown. (b) Same as (a) except the rotor-normal induction values are normalized by the yaw-aligned ADM rotor-normal induction, $a_n(\gamma )/a_n(\gamma =0)$.

Figure 10

Figure 11. Comparison between yaw-aligned ($\gamma =0$) momentum theory and LES results for the ADM without the disk velocity $\boldsymbol {u}_d$ correction factor ($M=1$, $\varDelta /D=0.29h/D=0.032$). For a yaw-aligned turbine, the rotor-normal induction is $a_n=a$, where $a$ is the standard axial induction factor predicted by momentum theory. Coefficient of thrust $C_T$ is shown as a function of (a) induction factor $a$, and (b) $C_T^\prime$. Coefficient of power $C_P$ is shown as a function of (c) induction factor $a$, and (d) $C_T^\prime$. The vertical lines report the induction $a$ and thrust coefficient $C_T^\prime$ corresponding to the Betz limit ($a=1/3$, $C_T^\prime =2$) and the heavy loading limit ($a=0.37$, $C_T^\prime =2.3$) (Wilson & Lissaman 1974; Burton et al.2011).

Figure 11

Figure 12. Coefficient of thrust $C_T$ and local coefficient of thrust $C_T^\prime$ for the NREL 5 MW reference turbine (Jonkman et al.2009). Approximate control regions (I, II and III) are identified.

Figure 12

Figure 13. (a) Thrust coefficient $C_T'$ as a function of TSR at various yaw misalignment angles, using $C_T$ data from Krogstad & Adaramola (2012). The thrust coefficient $C_T'$ is solved for iteratively using the proposed model (2.15) with (E1). (b) Dependence of the thrust coefficient $C_T'$ on yaw for two different control strategies: constant $\lambda = \varOmega R/u_\infty$, and constant $\lambda ' = (\varOmega \cos (\gamma )\, R)/u_\infty$.