Aerodynamic characterization of two tandem wind turbines under yaw misalignment control using actuator line model

TL;DR

This study uses actuator line modeling to analyze how yaw misalignment affects the aerodynamics and power output of two tandem wind turbines, revealing unsteady effects and wake behaviors crucial for optimizing wind farm efficiency.

Contribution

It provides a detailed aerodynamic characterization of tandem turbines under yaw misalignment using high-fidelity simulations, highlighting unsteady loads and wake dynamics.

Findings

Yaw increases downstream power output by redirecting wake.

Maximum power achieved when upstream wake is diverted away.

Yaw induces unsteady aerodynamic loads and cyclic blade loading.

Abstract

Yaw control has proven to be promising in alleviating the wake effects that plague the efficiency of wind farms. In this work, the actuator line modeling (ALM) method is adopted to simulate the flows over two tandem turbines distanced by $3 - 7$ rotor diameters, with the yaw angle of the upstream rotor varying from $\gamma_1=0^{\circ}$ to $50^{\circ}$. The aim is to provide a comprehensive aerodynamic characterization of a simple wind farm under yaw misalignment. With increasing yaw angle, the power generated by the downstream rotor increases, compensating the power loss in the upstream rotor, and resulting in higher total power of the two turbines than that without yaw control. The maximum power output is achieved as the upstream wake of the yawed rotor is redirected away from the downstream rotor plane. Behind the downstream rotor, the secondary steering phenomenon is observed, where the wake is also redirected from the centerline. The use of the actuator line model also reveal unsteady aerodynamic characteristics that can not be captured by lower-fidelity models. For the upstream rotor, the yaw misalignment results in time-varying change in the local angle of attack on the blade, giving rise to unsteady loading. The downstream rotor is partially submerged in the deflected wake incurred by the yawed upstream rotor. As the blade revolves into and out of the wake deficit, the blade experiences cyclic loading, leading to even stronger fluctuations in the aerodynamic loads than the upstream rotor. These analysis provides a comprehensive understanding of the yaw control effects on the two tandem rotors from the perspectives of aerodynamic performance, wake profiles, and unsteady characteristics. The insights gained from the study can aid the design of collective yaw control strategies of wind farms, and lay the foundation for assessing the fatigue damage associated with yaw misalignment.