Experimental investigation of wake effects on wind turbine performance

The wake interference effect on the performance of a downstream wind turbine was investigated experimentally. Two similar model turbines with the same rotor diameter were used. The effects on the performance of the downstream turbine of the distance of separation between the turbines and the amount of power extracted from the upstream turbine were studied. The effects of these parameters on the total power output from the turbines were also estimated. The reduction in the maximum power coefficient of the downstream turbine is strongly dependent on the distance between the turbines and the operating condition of the upstream turbine. Depending on the distance of separation and blade pitch angle, the loss in power from the downstream turbine varies from about 20 to 46% compared to the power output from an unobstructed single turbine operating at its designed conditions. By operating the upstream turbine slightly outside this optimum setting or yawing the upstream turbine, the power output from the downstream turbine was significantly improved. This study shows that the total power output could be increased by installing an upstream turbine which extracts less power than the following turbines. By operating the upstream turbine in yawed condition, the gain in total power output from the two turbines could be increased by about 12%.

Research highlights
► The paper describes model tests of two in-line 0.9m diameter, fully operational wind turbines tested in a large scale wind tunnel studying the interaction between them
► The combined output is optimised by changing the turbine operating conditions, showing that total output is maximised when the upstream turbine is operated at a considerably faster tip speed ratio than what it was designed for.
► Further combined power increase may be obtained by yawing the first turbine, thereby deflecting the wake away from the second turbine