Power-generation enhancements and upstream flow properties of turbines in unsteady inflow conditions

TL;DR

This paper develops a nonlinear dynamical model for turbines in unsteady inflow conditions, validated with experiments, revealing how unsteady flows can enhance average power output and informing turbine design and control.

Contribution

The paper introduces a novel nonlinear dynamical model linking upstream flow properties and turbine rotation in unsteady conditions, validated with experimental data.

Findings

Model accurately predicts time-averaged power and upstream flow fluctuations.

Unsteady flow can significantly increase average power output.

Model relies solely on steady-flow data for predictions.

Abstract

Energy-harvesting systems in complex flow environments, such as floating offshore wind turbines, tidal turbines, and ground-fixed turbines in axial gusts, encounter unsteady streamwise flow conditions that affect their power generation and structural loads. In some cases, enhancements in time-averaged power generation above the steady-flow operating point are observed. To characterize these dynamics, a nonlinear dynamical model for the rotation rate and power extraction of a periodically surging turbine is derived and connected to two potential-flow representations of the induction zone upstream of the turbine. The model predictions for the time-averaged power extraction of the turbine and the upstream flow velocity and pressure are compared against data from experiments conducted with a surging-turbine apparatus in an open-circuit wind tunnel at a diameter-based Reynolds number of $Re_D = 6.3\times10^5$ and surge-velocity amplitudes of up to 24% of the wind speed. The combined modeling approach captures trends in both the time-averaged power extraction and the fluctuations in upstream flow quantities, while relying only on data from steady-flow measurements. The sensitivity of the observed increases in time-averaged power to steady-flow turbine characteristics is established, thus clarifying the conditions under which these enhancements are possible. Finally, the influence of unsteady fluid mechanics on time-averaged power extraction is explored analytically. The theoretical framework and experimental validation provide a cohesive modeling approach that can drive the design, control, and optimization of turbines in unsteady flow conditions, as well as inform the development of novel energy-harvesting systems that can leverage unsteady flows for large increases in power-generation capacities.