Wind Flow Characterisation over a PV Module through URANS Simulations and Wind Tunnel Optical Flow Methods
Despite their simplicity, photovoltaic (PV) modules are often arranged in structures that can be affected by severe and complex wind loads: in this context, the wind flow and the dynamic excitation induced by vortex shedding can introduce unexpected aeroelastic responses. This work introduces a nove...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-10-01
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| Series: | Energies |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/20/6546 |
| _version_ | 1827679651395272704 |
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| author | Francesco Castellani Abdelgalil Eltayesh Francesco Natili Tommaso Tocci Matteo Becchetti Lorenzo Capponi Davide Astolfi Gianluca Rossi |
| author_facet | Francesco Castellani Abdelgalil Eltayesh Francesco Natili Tommaso Tocci Matteo Becchetti Lorenzo Capponi Davide Astolfi Gianluca Rossi |
| author_sort | Francesco Castellani |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Despite their simplicity, photovoltaic (PV) modules are often arranged in structures that can be affected by severe and complex wind loads: in this context, the wind flow and the dynamic excitation induced by vortex shedding can introduce unexpected aeroelastic responses. This work introduces a novel wind tunnel application of experimental techniques to address this issue by the use of flow visualisation and video postprocessing, through the optical flow algorithm. Numerical simulations based on unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) models are performed and compared against the experimental wind tunnel tests on a PV panel that was also instrumented with pressure taps. A setup with a <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><msup><mn>65</mn><mo>∘</mo></msup></semantics></math></inline-formula> tilt angle was examined because, based on preliminary analyses, it was considered interesting for the free flow–wake transition associated with the dynamic response of the PV panel. The comparison of the experimental and numerical average wind fields supported that the proposed optical flow method was appropriate for characterising the wake of the panel, because there was enough seeding to perform the video postprocessing. Experiments and numerical predictions were compared as regards the average pressure distribution on the panel surfaces, and the average percentage was in the error of 7%; this supports that the URANS method was capable of reproducing the average behaviour of the panel, as well as for the selected configuration, which is particularly challenging. Furthermore, the simulated and measured power spectral densities of the wind speed were compared, and this resulted in the numerical model quite faithfully reproducing the frequency of the peak at 5 m/s, while the error was in the order of 20% for the 10 m/s case; this supports that, despite the URANS approach being affected by well-known critical points regarding the simulation of instantaneous quantities, it can be employed to elaborate information that can be particularly useful for the structural design of the panel. This kind of result can be considered as a first step, obtained with simplified and affordable methods, towards a characterisation of the dynamic behaviour of a PV panel in a real-world setup. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T06:35:19Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1039409dbaa2419cb954dcbebfa1445b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1996-1073 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T06:35:19Z |
| publishDate | 2021-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Energies |
| spelling | doaj.art-1039409dbaa2419cb954dcbebfa1445b2023-11-22T18:04:51ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732021-10-011420654610.3390/en14206546Wind Flow Characterisation over a PV Module through URANS Simulations and Wind Tunnel Optical Flow MethodsFrancesco Castellani0Abdelgalil Eltayesh1Francesco Natili2Tommaso Tocci3Matteo Becchetti4Lorenzo Capponi5Davide Astolfi6Gianluca Rossi7Department of Engineering, University of Perugia, Via G. Duranti 93, 06125 Perugia, ItalyMechanical Engineering Department, Benha Faculty of Engineering, Benha University, Benha 13512, EgyptDepartment of Engineering, University of Perugia, Via G. Duranti 93, 06125 Perugia, ItalyDepartment of Engineering, University of Perugia, Via G. Duranti 93, 06125 Perugia, ItalyDepartment of Engineering, University of Perugia, Via G. Duranti 93, 06125 Perugia, ItalyDepartment of Engineering, University of Perugia, Via G. Duranti 93, 06125 Perugia, ItalyDepartment of Engineering, University of Perugia, Via G. Duranti 93, 06125 Perugia, ItalyDepartment of Engineering, University of Perugia, Via G. Duranti 93, 06125 Perugia, ItalyDespite their simplicity, photovoltaic (PV) modules are often arranged in structures that can be affected by severe and complex wind loads: in this context, the wind flow and the dynamic excitation induced by vortex shedding can introduce unexpected aeroelastic responses. This work introduces a novel wind tunnel application of experimental techniques to address this issue by the use of flow visualisation and video postprocessing, through the optical flow algorithm. Numerical simulations based on unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) models are performed and compared against the experimental wind tunnel tests on a PV panel that was also instrumented with pressure taps. A setup with a <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><msup><mn>65</mn><mo>∘</mo></msup></semantics></math></inline-formula> tilt angle was examined because, based on preliminary analyses, it was considered interesting for the free flow–wake transition associated with the dynamic response of the PV panel. The comparison of the experimental and numerical average wind fields supported that the proposed optical flow method was appropriate for characterising the wake of the panel, because there was enough seeding to perform the video postprocessing. Experiments and numerical predictions were compared as regards the average pressure distribution on the panel surfaces, and the average percentage was in the error of 7%; this supports that the URANS method was capable of reproducing the average behaviour of the panel, as well as for the selected configuration, which is particularly challenging. Furthermore, the simulated and measured power spectral densities of the wind speed were compared, and this resulted in the numerical model quite faithfully reproducing the frequency of the peak at 5 m/s, while the error was in the order of 20% for the 10 m/s case; this supports that, despite the URANS approach being affected by well-known critical points regarding the simulation of instantaneous quantities, it can be employed to elaborate information that can be particularly useful for the structural design of the panel. This kind of result can be considered as a first step, obtained with simplified and affordable methods, towards a characterisation of the dynamic behaviour of a PV panel in a real-world setup.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/20/6546photovoltaicaeroelasticitywind tunnel testoptical flowcomputational fluid dynamicssustainable energy |
| spellingShingle | Francesco Castellani Abdelgalil Eltayesh Francesco Natili Tommaso Tocci Matteo Becchetti Lorenzo Capponi Davide Astolfi Gianluca Rossi Wind Flow Characterisation over a PV Module through URANS Simulations and Wind Tunnel Optical Flow Methods Energies photovoltaic aeroelasticity wind tunnel test optical flow computational fluid dynamics sustainable energy |
| title | Wind Flow Characterisation over a PV Module through URANS Simulations and Wind Tunnel Optical Flow Methods |
| title_full | Wind Flow Characterisation over a PV Module through URANS Simulations and Wind Tunnel Optical Flow Methods |
| title_fullStr | Wind Flow Characterisation over a PV Module through URANS Simulations and Wind Tunnel Optical Flow Methods |
| title_full_unstemmed | Wind Flow Characterisation over a PV Module through URANS Simulations and Wind Tunnel Optical Flow Methods |
| title_short | Wind Flow Characterisation over a PV Module through URANS Simulations and Wind Tunnel Optical Flow Methods |
| title_sort | wind flow characterisation over a pv module through urans simulations and wind tunnel optical flow methods |
| topic | photovoltaic aeroelasticity wind tunnel test optical flow computational fluid dynamics sustainable energy |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/20/6546 |
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