Wind tunnel study on the wake characteristics of a wind turbine model subjected to surge and sway motions

An experimental study was performed in a uniform incoming flow wind tunnel to investigate the effect of surge and sway motions on the wake characteristics of a wind turbine model. The platform surge and sway motions can be simulated at prescribed amplitudes and frequencies through a translation stage mounted on the base of the turbine model. The flow fields of near, intermediate, and far wakes of the turbine model were characterized by a particle image velocimetry system. Results show that the mean velocity profiles during the whole surging and swaying process of the downwind wakes were almost unchanged with that of a base-fixed turbine; however, the maximum mean velocity differences appeared near the blade tips for both motions compared with the base-fixed cases. Little difference was found between the mean velocity profiles of the turbine model while moving in different directions, for both the surge and sway motions. Later, the characteristics of instantaneous velocity profiles were investigated, and the lateral offset of the instantaneous velocity profiles for the swaying turbine at the two ends of the sway motion was observed. The offset distance was very close to sway amplitudes within the near wake, and it gradually decreased until it disappeared as the downstream distance increases. This work may provide an instrumental guide in the further research on the wake of floating offshore wind turbines.

Automated summary

This experimental study investigates the effect of surge and sway motions on the wake characteristics of a wind turbine model. The results show that the mean velocity profiles of the downwind wakes during the surging and swaying process are almost the same as a base-fixed turbine model. However, there are maximum mean velocity differences near the blade tips for both motions compared to the base-fixed cases. The instantaneous velocity profiles also reveal a lateral offset for the swaying turbine at the two ends of the sway motion, which gradually decreases and disappears with increasing downstream distance.