Actuator lines modeling and investigation of tilted wind turbines for improved farm efficiency

Details

Supervisors

Winckelmans, Grégoire

Faculty

Ecole polytechnique de Louvain

Degree label

Master [120] : ingénieur civil mécanicien

Abstract

Currently, wind turbines are often gathered into wind farms to reduce the total cost of the installation. However, the reduced spacing between the turbines leads to interactions that can have a dramatic influence on the overall power output. In this work, we study a method to decrease those interactions by acting on the tilt angle of the turbines. This analysis is performed using Large Eddy Simulation with an in-house developed Navier-Stokes equations solver. The turbines are modeled using an improved Actuator Lines model, which is extensively characterized beforehand.