Optical vortex tracking studies of a horizontal axis wind turbine in yaw using laser-sheet, flow visualisation

 Experimental studies have been conducted on a 0.9 m diameter, horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT) placed in the open jet of a closed return wind tunnel. The turbine was tested in a three blade and a two blade configuration. The power coefficient of the turbine was measured and wake flow studies conducted for a range of yawed flows by tilting the rotor plane at various angles up to 30° to the incident wind direction. The motion of the shed vorticity was followed using laser-sheet flow visualisation with the overall wake deflection being measured. The results were compared with theoretical predictions and with studies conducted elsewhere. Received: 24 October 1996 / Accepted: 16 May 1997     

A DPIV study of the trailing vortex elements from the blades of a horizontal axis wind turbine in yaw

Digital particle image velocimetry (DPIV) has been used in a wind tunnel study to measure the velocity field of the trailing vortices from the blades of a horizontal axis wind-turbine (HWAT) in yaw. The creation of the trailing vortex circulation is shown to vary as a function of the phase angle of the rotor and the angle of yaw between the wind and turbine rotor. The strength of the convecting vorticity was also shown to vary with time. The initial formation of the vortex is shown determined by the flow expansion angle while in yawed flows the developing vortex is then influenced by the vortex sheet shed from the inboard blade trailing edge. This interaction is shown to significantly affect the roll up of the tip vortex. Received: 17 December 1997/Accepted: 16 June 1999     

Particle image velocimetry （PIV） measurements of tip vortex wake structure of wind turbine

Large-view flow field measurements using the particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique with high resolution CCD cameras on a rotating 1/8 scale blade model of the NREL UAE phase VI wind turbine are conducted in the engineering-oriented Φ3.2 m wind tunnel.The motivation is to establish the database of the initiation and development of the tip vortex to study the flow structure and mechanism of the wind turbine.The results show that the tip vortex first moves inward for a very short period and then moves out...     

Dynamic wind loads and wake characteristics of a wind turbine model in an atmospheric boundary layer wind

An experimental study was conducted to characterize the dynamic wind loads and evolution of the unsteady vortex and turbulent flow structures in the near wake of a horizontal axis wind turbine model placed in an atmospheric boundary layer wind tunnel. In addition to measuring dynamic wind loads (i.e., aerodynamic forces and bending moments) acting on the wind turbine model by using a high-sensitive force-moment sensor unit, a high-resolution digital particle image velocimetry (PIV) system was used to achieve flow field measurements to quantify the characteristics of the turbulent vortex flow in the near wake of the wind turbine model. Besides conducting “free-run” PIV measurements to determine the ensemble-averaged statistics of the flow quantities such as mean velocity, Reynolds stress, and turbulence kinetic energy (TKE) distributions in the wake flow, “phase-locked” PIV measurements were also performed to elucidate further details about evolution of the unsteady vortex structures in the wake flow in relation to the position of the rotating turbine blades. The effects of the tip-speed-ratio of the wind turbine model on the dynamic wind loads and wake flow characteristics were quantified in the terms of the variations of the aerodynamic thrust and bending moment coefficients of the wind turbine model, the evolution of the helical tip vortices and the unsteady vortices shedding from the blade roots and turbine nacelle, the deceleration of the incoming airflows after passing the rotation disk of the turbine blades, the TKE and Reynolds stress distributions in the near wake of the wind turbine model. The detailed flow field measurements were correlated with the dynamic wind load measurements to elucidate underlying physics in order to gain further insight into the characteristics of the dynamic wind loads and turbulent vortex flows in the wakes of wind turbines for the optimal design of the wind turbines operating in atmospheric boundary layer winds.     

Determination of real-time predictors of the wind turbine wake meandering

The present work proposes an experimental methodology to characterize the unsteady properties of a wind turbine wake, called meandering, and particularly its ability to follow the large-scale motions induced by large turbulent eddies contained in the approach flow. The measurements were made in an atmospheric boundary layer wind tunnel. The wind turbine model is based on the actuator disc concept. One part of the work has been dedicated to the development of a methodology for horizontal wake tracking by mean of a transverse hot wire rake, whose dynamic response is adequate for spectral analysis. Spectral coherence analysis shows that the horizontal position of the wake correlates well with the upstream transverse velocity, especially for wavelength larger than three times the diameter of the disc but less so for smaller scales. Therefore, it is concluded that the wake is actually a rather passive tracer of the large surrounding turbulent structures. The influence of the rotor size and downstream distance on the wake meandering is studied. The fluctuations of the lateral force and the yawing torque affecting the wind turbine model are also measured and correlated with the wake meandering. Two approach flow configurations are then tested: an undisturbed incoming flow (modelled atmospheric boundary layer) and a disturbed incoming flow, with a wind turbine model located upstream. Results showed that the meandering process is amplified by the presence of the upstream wake. It is shown that the coherence between the lateral force fluctuations and the horizontal wake position is significant up to length scales larger than twice the wind turbine model diameter. This leads to the conclusion that the lateral force is a better candidate than the upstream transverse velocity to predict in real time the meandering process, for either undisturbed (wake free) or disturbed incoming atmospheric flows.     

Effect of velocity ratio on the streamwise vortex structures in the wake of a stack

The time-averaged velocity and streamwise vorticity fields within the wake of a stack were investigated in a low-speed wind tunnel using a seven-hole pressure probe. The experiments were conducted at a Reynolds number, based on the stack external diameter, of Re_D=2.3×10⁴. The stack, of aspect ratio AR=9, was mounted normal to a ground plane and was partially immersed in a flat-plate turbulent boundary layer, where the ratio of the boundary layer thickness to the stack height was δ/H≈0.5. The jet-to-cross-flow velocity ratio was varied from R=0 to 3, which covered the downwash, crosswind-dominated and jet-dominated flow regimes. In the downwash and crosswind-dominated flow regimes, two pairs of counter-rotating streamwise vortex structures were identified within the stack wake. The tip vortex pair located close to the free end of the stack, and the base vortex pair located close to the ground plane within the flat-plate boundary layer, were similar to those found in the wake of a finite circular cylinder, and were associated with the upwash and downwash flow fields within the stack wake, respectively. In the jet-dominated flow regime, a third pair of streamwise vortex structures was observed, referred to as the jet-wake vortex pair, which occurred within the jet-wake region above the free end of the stack. The jet-wake vortex pair had the same orientation as the base vortex pair and was associated with the jet rise. The peak vorticity and strength of the streamwise vortex structures were functions of the jet-to-cross-flow velocity ratio. For the tip vortex structures, their peak vorticity and strength reduced as the jet-to-cross-flow velocity ratio increased.     

Visualization by PIV of dynamic stall on a vertical axis wind turbine

The aerodynamic behavior of a vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) is analyzed by means of 2D particle image velocimetry (PIV), focusing on the development of dynamic stall at different tip speed ratios. The VAWT has an unsteady aerodynamic behavior due to the variation with the azimuth angle θ of the blade’s sections’ angle of attack, perceived velocity and Reynolds number. The phenomenon of dynamic stall is then an inherent effect of the operation of a VAWT at low tip speed ratios, impacting both loads and power. The present work is driven by the need to understand this phenomenon, by visualizing and quantifying it, and to create a database for model validation. The experimental method uses PIV to visualize the development of the flow over the suction side of the airfoil for two different reference Reynolds numbers and three tip speed ratios in the operational regime of a small urban wind turbine. The field-of-view of the experiment covers the entire rotation of the blade and almost the entire rotor area. The analysis describes the evolution of the flow around the airfoil and in the rotor area, with special focus on the leading edge separation vortex and trailing edge shed vorticity development. The method also allows the quantification of the flow, both the velocity field and the vorticity/circulation (only the results of the vorticity/circulation distribution are presented), in terms of the phase locked average and the random component.     

Computational analysis of vertical axis wind turbine arrays

Canonical problems involving single, pairs, and arrays of vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) are investigated numerically with the objective of understanding the underlying flow structures and their implications on energy production. Experimental studies by Dabiri (J Renew Sustain Energy 3, 2011) suggest that VAWTs demand less stringent spacing requirements than their horizontal axis counterparts and additional benefits may be obtained by optimizing the placement and rotational direction of VAWTs. The flowfield of pairs of co-/counter-rotating VAWTs shows some similarities with pairs of cylinders in terms of wake structure and vortex shedding. When multiple VAWTs are placed in a column, the extent of the wake is seen to spread further downstream, irrespective of the direction of rotation of individual turbines. However, the aerodynamic interference between turbines gives rise to regions of excess momentum between the turbines which lead to significant power augmentations. Studies of VAWTs arranged in multiple columns show that the downstream columns can actually be more efficient than the leading column, a proposition that could lead to radical improvements in wind farm productivity.     

An experimental study of the unsteady vortex structures in the wake of a root-fixed flapping wing

An experimental study was conducted to characterize the evolution of the unsteady vortex structures in the wake of a root-fixed flapping wing with the wing size, stroke amplitude, and flapping frequency within the range of insect characteristics for the development of novel insect-sized nano-air-vehicles (NAVs). The experiments were conducted in a low-speed wing tunnel with a miniaturized piezoelectric wing (i.e., chord length, C = 12.7 mm) flapping at a frequency of 60 Hz (i.e., f = 60 Hz). The non-dimensional parameters of the flapping wing are chord Reynolds number of Re = 1,200, reduced frequency of k = 3.5, and non-dimensional flapping amplitude at wingtip h = A/C = 1.35. The corresponding Strouhal number (Str) is 0.33, which is well within the optimal range of 0.2 < Str < 0.4 used by flying insects and birds and swimming fishes for locomotion. A digital particle image velocimetry (PIV) system was used to achieve phased-locked and time-averaged flow field measurements to quantify the transient behavior of the wake vortices in relation to the positions of the flapping wing during the upstroke and down stroke flapping cycles. The characteristics of the wake vortex structures in the chordwise cross planes at different wingspan locations were compared quantitatively to elucidate underlying physics for a better understanding of the unsteady aerodynamics of flapping flight and to explore/optimize design paradigms for the development of novel insect-sized, flapping-wing-based NAVs.     

The interaction of a bluff body with a vortex wake

A theoretical, experimental and numerical study is presented of the interaction of a vortex–wake created by an upstream blade with a downstream prismatic block. The aim of the study is to investigate the fundamentals of force and noise generation for this type of flow and explain how inter-object spacing affects the far-field noise level. A theoretical model, based on a compact form of Curle's formulation, is developed and shows that acoustically constructive or destructive interference is determined by the amplitude and phase of the forces on each object. Experimental and two-dimensional, unsteady numerical results of the vortex–wake interaction case are presented for several blade–block separation distances. Using a combination of experimental and numerical data, the theoretical model is able to explain observed variations in far-field noise level with blade–block separation distance. The numerical model accurately predicts the phase relationship between the unsteady forces on each object.     

A nonlinear model for aerodynamic configuration of wake behind horizontal-axis wind turbine

Determination of the aerodynamic configuration of wake is the key to analysis and evaluation of the rotor aerodynamic characteristics of a horizontal-axis wind turbine.According to the aerodynamic configuration, the real magnitude and direction of the onflow velocity at the rotor blade can be determined, and subsequently, the aerodynamic force on the rotor can be determined. The commonly employed wake aerodynamic models are of the cylindrical form instead of the actual expanding one. This is because the influence of the radial component of the induced velocity on the wake configuration is neglected. Therefore, this model should be called a "linear model". Using this model means that the induced velocities at the rotor blades and aerodynamic loads on them would be inexact. An approximately accurate approach is proposed in this paper to determine the so-called "nonlinear" wake aerodynamic configuration by means of the potential theory,where the influence of all three coordinate components of the induced velocity on wake aerodynamic configuration is taken into account to obtain a kind of expanding wake that approximately looks like an actual one. First, the rotor aerodynamic model composed of axial(central), bound, and trailing vortexes is established with the help of the finite aspect wing theory. Then, the Biot-Savart formula for the potential flow theory is used to derive a set of integral equations to evaluate the three components of the induced velocity at any point within the wake. The numerical solution to the integral equations is found,and the loci of all elementary trailing vortex filaments behind the rotor are determined thereafter. Finally, to formulate an actual wind turbine rotor, using the nonlinear wake model, the induced velocity everywhere in the wake, especially that at the rotor blade,is obtained in the case of various tip speed ratios and compared with the wake boundary in a neutral atmospheric boundary layer. Hereby, some useful and referential conclusions are offered for the aerodynamic computation and design of the rotor of the horizontal-axis wind turbine.     

Analogy between a flapping wing and a wind turbine with a vertical axis of revolution

Based on an analysis of available experimental data, the hypothesis about an analogy between a flapping wing and a wind turbine of the Darrieus rotor type is justified. It is demonstrated that the torque on the shaft of the Darrieus rotor is generated by thrust forces acting on the blades in a pulsed flow. A conclusion is drawn that it is necessary to perform aerodynamic calculations of blades on the basis of the nonlinear theory of the wing in an unsteady flow with allowance for the airfoil thickness. __________ Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika i Tekhnicheskaya Fizika, Vol. 50, No. 2, pp. 152–155, March–April, 2009.     

Evolution of a vortex street in the far wake of a cylinder

The evolution of a primary vortex street shed from a circular cylinder in the far wake is experimentally examined for 70 R 154 (R is the Reynolds number). According to the vorticity fields obtained using digital image processing for visualized flow fields, the primary vortex street breaks down into a nearly parallel shear flow of Gaussian profile at a certain downstream distance, before a secondary vortex street of larger scale appears further downstream. The process leading to the nearly parallel flow can be explained as the evolution of the vortex regions of an inviscid fluid if we invoke the observation that the distance between the two rows in the primary vortex street increases with the downstream distance, although the viscous effect probably contributes to this increase. Numerical computations with the discrete vortex method also support this explanation. The wavelengths and speeds of the primary and secondary vortex street are also measured.     

Numerical investigation of the effect of winglets on the evolution of an aircraft vortex wake

The effect of winglets on the aerodynamic characteristics of a heavy aircraft and the parameters of the vortex wake behind it is investigated for the landing regime. The solution of the complete problem is obtained by breaking up the wake into three regions, namely, the near, intermediate, and far flowfields, in which the corresponding subproblems are successively solved. The wake flowfields are obtained at different distances from the aircraft, together with the distributions of the mean azimuthal velocity over the vortex radius, and the lifetime of the vortex system is estimated for several one-and two-element wingtip versions. All the results are compared with those for the baseline layout with no winglets.     

Topology of vortex creation in the cylinder wake

We analyze the topology of the two-dimensional flow around a circular cylinder at moderate Reynolds numbers in the regime where the vortex wake is created. A normal form for the stream function close to the cylinder is presented and used to predict the streamline pattern both in the steady and the periodic regime, where two different vortex shedding scenarios are identified. The theoretical predictions are verified numerically. For the vorticity, a very different topology occurs with infinite nested sequences of iso-curves moving downstream. General equations of motion for critical points are derived.