Wind turbine wake aerodynamics

The aerodynamics of horizontal axis wind turbine wakes is studied. The contents is directed towards the physics of power extraction by wind turbines and reviews both the near and the far wake region. For the near wake, the survey is restricted to uniform, steady and parallel flow conditions, thereby excluding wind shear, wind speed and rotor setting changes and yawed conditions. The emphasis is put on measurements in controlled conditions. For the far wake, the survey focusses on both single turbines and wind farm effects, and the experimental and numerical work are reviewed; the main interest is to study how the far wake decays downstream, in order to estimate the effect produced in downstream turbines. The article is further restricted to horizontal axis wind turbines and excludes all other types of turbines. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.