On the wake meandering of a model wind turbine operating in two different regimes

TL;DR

This study investigates how different operating regimes and nacelle modeling affect wake behavior and meandering behind a model wind turbine using wind tunnel experiments and advanced simulations.

Contribution

It introduces a new actuator surface simulation method and reveals the impact of nacelle modeling and operating regime on wake dynamics and meandering.

Findings

Nacelle modeling influences wake structure and vortex stability.

Unstable hub vortex energizes wake meandering.

Operating regime affects wake shape and meandering onset.

Abstract

The flows behind a model wind turbine under two turbine operating regimes are investigated using wind tunnel experiments and large-eddy simulations. Measurements from the model wind turbine experiment reveal that the power coefficient and turbine wake are affected by the operating regime. Simulations employing a new class of actuator surface methods which parameterize both the turbine blades and nacelle with and without a nacelle model are carried out for each operating condition to study the influence of the operating regime and nacelle. For simulations with a nacelle model, the mean flow field is composed of an outer wake, caused by energy extraction from the incoming wind by the turbine blades, and an inner wake directly behind the nacelle, while for the simulations without a nacelle model, the central region of the wake is occupied by a jet. The simulations with the nacelle model reveal an unstable helical hub vortex expanding outwards towards the outer wake; while the simulations without a nacelle model show a stable and columnar hub vortex. The hub vortex for the turbine operating in Region 3 remains in a tight helical spiral and intercepts the outer wake a few diameters further downstream than for the turbine operating in Region 2. Wake meandering commences in a region of high turbulence intensity for all simulations indicating that neither a nacelle model nor an unstable hub vortex is a necessary requirement for wake meandering. However, further analysis of the wake meandering using a filtering technique and dynamic mode decomposition show that the unstable hub vortex energizes the wake meandering. The turbine operating regime affects the shape and expansion of the hub vortex altering the location of the onset of the wake meandering and its oscillating intensity. The unstable hub vortex promotes a energetic meandering which cannot be predicted without a nacelle model.