Atmospheric turbulence affects wind turbine nacelle transfer functions
Despite their potential as a valuable source of individual turbine power performance and turbine array energy production optimization information, nacelle-mounted anemometers have often been neglected because complex flows around the blades and nacelle interfere with their measurements. This wor...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Copernicus Publications
2017-06-01
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| Series: | Wind Energy Science |
| Online Access: | https://www.wind-energ-sci.net/2/295/2017/wes-2-295-2017.pdf |
| _version_ | 1830483278808743936 |
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| author | C. M. St. Martin J. K. Lundquist J. K. Lundquist A. Clifton G. S. Poulos S. J. Schreck |
| author_facet | C. M. St. Martin J. K. Lundquist J. K. Lundquist A. Clifton G. S. Poulos S. J. Schreck |
| author_sort | C. M. St. Martin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Despite their potential as a valuable source of individual
turbine power performance and turbine array energy production optimization
information, nacelle-mounted anemometers have often been neglected because
complex flows around the blades and nacelle interfere with their
measurements. This work quantitatively explores the accuracy of and potential
corrections to nacelle anemometer measurements to determine the degree to
which they may be useful when corrected for these complex flows, particularly
for calculating annual energy production (AEP) in the absence of other
meteorological data. Using upwind meteorological tower measurements along
with nacelle-based measurements from a General Electric (GE) 1.5sle model, we
calculate empirical nacelle transfer functions (NTFs) and explore how they
are impacted by different atmospheric and turbulence parameters. This work
provides guidelines for the use of NTFs for deriving useful wind measurements
from nacelle-mounted anemometers. Corrections to the nacelle anemometer wind
speed measurements can be made with NTFs and used to calculate an AEP that
comes within 1 % of an AEP calculated with upwind measurements. We also
calculate unique NTFs for different atmospheric conditions defined by
temperature stratification as well as turbulence intensity, turbulence
kinetic energy, and wind shear. During periods of low stability as defined by
the Bulk Richardson number (<i>R</i><sub>B</sub>), the nacelle-mounted anemometer
underestimates the upwind wind speed more than during periods of high
stability at some wind speed bins below rated speed, leading to a steeper
NTF during periods of low stability. Similarly, during periods of high
turbulence, the nacelle-mounted anemometer underestimates the upwind wind
speed more than during periods of low turbulence at most wind bins between
cut-in and rated wind speed. Based on these results, we suggest different
NTFs be calculated for different regimes of atmospheric stability and
turbulence for power performance validation purposes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T17:49:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0101307ff8604c049154ad350fe7e3fd |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2366-7443 2366-7451 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T17:49:26Z |
| publishDate | 2017-06-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Wind Energy Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-0101307ff8604c049154ad350fe7e3fd2022-12-21T18:55:23ZengCopernicus PublicationsWind Energy Science2366-74432366-74512017-06-01229530610.5194/wes-2-295-2017Atmospheric turbulence affects wind turbine nacelle transfer functionsC. M. St. Martin0J. K. Lundquist1J. K. Lundquist2A. Clifton3G. S. Poulos4S. J. Schreck5Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (ATOC), University of Colorado at Boulder, 311 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309, USADepartment of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (ATOC), University of Colorado at Boulder, 311 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309, USANational Renewable Energy Laboratory, 15013 Denver West Parkway, Golden, CO 80401, USANational Renewable Energy Laboratory, 15013 Denver West Parkway, Golden, CO 80401, USAV-Bar, LLC, 1301 Arapahoe Street, Suite 105, Golden, CO 80401, USANational Renewable Energy Laboratory, 15013 Denver West Parkway, Golden, CO 80401, USADespite their potential as a valuable source of individual turbine power performance and turbine array energy production optimization information, nacelle-mounted anemometers have often been neglected because complex flows around the blades and nacelle interfere with their measurements. This work quantitatively explores the accuracy of and potential corrections to nacelle anemometer measurements to determine the degree to which they may be useful when corrected for these complex flows, particularly for calculating annual energy production (AEP) in the absence of other meteorological data. Using upwind meteorological tower measurements along with nacelle-based measurements from a General Electric (GE) 1.5sle model, we calculate empirical nacelle transfer functions (NTFs) and explore how they are impacted by different atmospheric and turbulence parameters. This work provides guidelines for the use of NTFs for deriving useful wind measurements from nacelle-mounted anemometers. Corrections to the nacelle anemometer wind speed measurements can be made with NTFs and used to calculate an AEP that comes within 1 % of an AEP calculated with upwind measurements. We also calculate unique NTFs for different atmospheric conditions defined by temperature stratification as well as turbulence intensity, turbulence kinetic energy, and wind shear. During periods of low stability as defined by the Bulk Richardson number (<i>R</i><sub>B</sub>), the nacelle-mounted anemometer underestimates the upwind wind speed more than during periods of high stability at some wind speed bins below rated speed, leading to a steeper NTF during periods of low stability. Similarly, during periods of high turbulence, the nacelle-mounted anemometer underestimates the upwind wind speed more than during periods of low turbulence at most wind bins between cut-in and rated wind speed. Based on these results, we suggest different NTFs be calculated for different regimes of atmospheric stability and turbulence for power performance validation purposes.https://www.wind-energ-sci.net/2/295/2017/wes-2-295-2017.pdf |
| spellingShingle | C. M. St. Martin J. K. Lundquist J. K. Lundquist A. Clifton G. S. Poulos S. J. Schreck Atmospheric turbulence affects wind turbine nacelle transfer functions Wind Energy Science |
| title | Atmospheric turbulence affects wind turbine nacelle transfer functions |
| title_full | Atmospheric turbulence affects wind turbine nacelle transfer functions |
| title_fullStr | Atmospheric turbulence affects wind turbine nacelle transfer functions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Atmospheric turbulence affects wind turbine nacelle transfer functions |
| title_short | Atmospheric turbulence affects wind turbine nacelle transfer functions |
| title_sort | atmospheric turbulence affects wind turbine nacelle transfer functions |
| url | https://www.wind-energ-sci.net/2/295/2017/wes-2-295-2017.pdf |
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