Linear and nonlinear models in wind resource assessment and wind turbine micro-siting in complex terrain

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2008

Authors

J.M.L.M. Palma (Author) FEUP; F.A. Castro (Author) FEUP; L.F. Ribeiro (Author) Other; A. H. Rodrigues (Author) FEUP; A.P. Pinto (Author) Other

Journal

Title: Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics

Vol. 96

Pages: 2308-2326

ISSN: 0167-6105

Publisher: Elsevier

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 104 Citations

ISI Web of Science

Scopus - 141 Citations

COMPENDEX

INSPEC

Scientific classification

FOS: Engineering and technology > Other engineering and technologies

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-003-TN2

DOI: 10.1016/j.jweia.2008.03.012

Abstract (EN): The current trend of increasing the electricity production from wind energy has led to the installation of wind farms in areas of greater orographic complexity, raising doubts on the use of simple, linear, mathematical models of the fluid flow equations, so common in the wind energy engineering. The present study shows how conventional techniques, linear models and cup anemometers, can be combined with flow simulation by computational fluid dynamics techniques (nonlinear models) and measurements by sonic anemometers, and discuss their relative merits in the characterisation of the wind over a coastal region—a cliff over the sea. The computational fluid dynamic techniques were particularly useful, providing a global view of the wind flow over the cliff and enabling the identification of separated flow regions, clearly unsuitable for installation of wind turbines. These locations display a pulsating flow, with periods between 1 and 7 min, in agreement with sonic anemometer measurements, and both a turbulence intensity and a gust factor well above the wind turbine design conditions.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific