Implementation of a generalized actuator disk model into WRF v4.3: A validation study for a real-scale wind turbine

A validation study is carried out for a generalized actuator disk model (GAD) implemented into the Weather Research and Forecasting model, an open-source numerical weather prediction code, in order to simulate the aerodynamic behavior of a real-scale wind turbine under varying atmospheric conditions. Multiple large-eddy simulations (LESs) are performed to resolve energy-containing eddies of turbulent motions utilizing the GAD model, which calculates the wind turbine-induced forces distributed over the rotor disk. The benchmarks defined at the Scaled Wind Technology Facility (SWiFT) campaign, (for details see Doubrawa et al., 2020), were chosen to validate the performance of the GAD model in terms of its capability to reproduce the wake and aerodynamic loading on the rotor. Meteorological data are available from a 60 m meteorological tower located 65 m upstream of the wind turbine, and the aerodynamic data, including scans of downstream velocity profiles, are available for the Vestas V27 wind turbine thanks to DTU's nacelle-mounted, rear-facing SpinnerLidar (Mikkelsen et al., 2013). Rotor performance and wake recovery results obtained from the GAD model are compared with field experiments and other LES data.

Automated summary

A validation study is conducted to test the performance of a generalized actuator disk model (GAD) implemented into a numerical weather prediction code in simulating the aerodynamic behavior of a real-scale wind turbine under varying atmospheric conditions. Multiple large-eddy simulations (LESs) are performed using the GAD model to calculate wind turbine-induced forces and validate against benchmarks and experimental data.