Characteristics of turbine spacing in a wind farm using an optimal design process

• Aerodynamic performance on wind turbines is predicted using numerical methods.
• Velocity profiles in the far wakes are determined using modified eddy viscosity model.
• Results of the velocity profiles and the power output in the work had good agreement with the measurements.
• The way of the increasing spacing between the 1st and 2nd turbine has the lowest contribution to the energy production in wind farm.

The characteristics of turbine spacing for optimal wind farm efficiency were investigated using combined numerical models. The effects of wakes from upstream turbines were predicted by a model capable of determining velocity distributions on a rotor plane, based on Ainslie's approach. The performance results of a wind farm showed good agreement with measurements. The blade element momentum theory, in combination with a dynamic wake model, was applied. Wake model used the results of aerodynamic analysis as input properties. The optimal distance between wind turbines was predicted using a genetic algorithm to maximize efficiency in a wind farm. The results showed that the spacing between the first and the second turbines had the importance to the entire farm's efficiency.