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At least 19 records

Benefits of Two Turbine Rotor Diameters and Hub Heights in the Same Wind Farm

Significant turbine-wake interactions greatly reduce power output in a wind farm. If different turbine hub heights and rotor diameters are included in the same wind farm, the wake interference in the farm will be reduced, resulting in a lower cost of energy (COE) than a farm with identical turbines. In this paper, we present a method to model wind farm COE in farms with hub heights and rotor diameters that vary across the wind farm. We also demonstrate how to optimize these wind farms to minimize COE. The results show that COE can be greatly reduced in wind farms with non-homogeneous turbines, especially when the turbines are spaced close together. For a unidirectional wind rose, including different turbine design in the wind farm has a similar decrease in COE to spreading the wind turbines farther apart. When the rotor diameter and hub height of the wind turbines in a farm are optimized uniformly, a COE decrease of 4% to 13% (depending on the grid spacing and wind shear exponent) is achieved compared to the baseline. When the rotor diameter and turbine heights are optimized non-uniformly, with two different diameters and heights throughout the farm, there is a COE decrease of 22% to 41% compared to the baseline. For a more spread wind rose with a dominant probability from the west, there is a COE decrease between 3% and 10% for uniformly optimized rotor diameter and height compared to the baseline. With two optimized rotor diameters and heights through the farm, a COE decrease of 3% to 19% is achieved. For a similar wind rose shifted such that the dominant wind direction is from the northwest, a COE decrease between 3% and 10% results from uniformly optimized wind turbines compared to the baseline. A COE decrease of 3% to 17% compared to the baseline occurs with two different turbines are optimized throughout the wind farm.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

How wind speed shear and directional veer affect the power production of a megawatt-scale operational wind turbine

Most megawatt-scale wind turbines align themselves into the wind as defined by the wind speed at or near the center of the rotor (hub height). However, both wind speed and wind direction can change with height across the area swept by the turbine blades. A turbine aligned to hub-height winds might experience suboptimal or superoptimal power production, depending on the changes in the vertical profile of wind, also known as shear. Using observed winds and power production over 6 months at a site in the high plains of North America, we quantify the sensitivity of a wind turbine's power production to wind speed shear and directional veer as well as atmospheric stability. We measure shear using metrics such as α (the log-law wind shear exponent), β bulk (a measure of bulk rotor-disk-layer veer), β total (a measure of total rotor-disk-layer veer), and rotor-equivalent wind speed (REWS; a measure of actual momentum encountered by the turbine by accounting for shear). We also consider the REWS with the inclusion of directional veer, REWS θ , although statistically significant differences in power production do not occur between REWS and REWS θ at our site. When REWS differs from the hub-height wind speed (as measured by either the lidar or a transfer function-corrected nacelle anemometer), the turbine power generation also differs from the mean power curve in a statistically significant way. This change in power can be more than 70 kW or up to 5 % of the rated power for a single 1.5 MW utility-scale turbine. Over a theoretical 100-turbine wind farm, these changes could lead to instantaneous power prediction gains or losses equivalent to the addition or loss of multiple utility-scale turbines. At this site, REWS is the most useful metric for segregating the turbine's power curve into high and low cases of power production when compared to the other shear or stability metrics. Therefore, REWS enables improved forecasts of power production.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

Three dimensional optimization for subsonic axial turbines operating at high unsteady inlet Mach number

In this paper, a three dimensional optimization strategy is presented to improve the performance of a subsonic axial turbine exposed to high Mach number unsteady inflows encountered in pressure gain combustors. The optimization aims at altering the stator hub and shroud end wells. A multi-objective differential evolution optimizer was used to enhance specific work and efficiency. The optimization routine consisted of a multi-step approach where in a first step an optimization was carried out where the turbine was subjected to a steady high Mach inflow. The turbine stage was parametrized via an in-house turbine design tool based on Bezier curves. Seven design parameters were selected to contour the stator end walls and rotor hub end wall. The parametrized turbine stage was meshed and the steady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes equations were solved via the commercial solver CFD++ and calculation time of each stage was around 10 hours. Results of the steady optimization identified three major design parameters of stator end walls, which were taken as inputs for the next phase unsteady optimization. For the unsteady simulations, a large inlet fluctuation was imposed and the turbine was modeled with the mixing plane approach. Total calculation time of each individual was 48 hours. An efficiency improvement of 10% from the steady optimization and 13% from the unsteady optimization was found compared to the baseline case. Finally, full unsteady simulations with two stator and three rotor passages were performed on selected steady and unsteady optimized configurations.

03 NATURAL GAS↗

Accurate and rapid acoustic damage characterization in complex structures using sparse sensor networks and deep learning models

Damage diagnosis in critical components is essential for ensuring the safety and reliability of operations across industries, spanning manufacturing, aerospace, and energy. Traditional acoustic nondestructive testing methods primarily focus on detecting defects through the direct scattering of single-mode incident waves from the damage, which limit their applicability to simple structures and small inspection areas. Our earlier research demonstrated that machine learning algorithms combined with sparse sensor networks can identify critical defect signatures even from multiply scattered, multi-mode acoustic signals, indicating the potential for improved defect inspection in complex, real-world structures. In this work, we demonstrate the successful implementation of this approach in a fixed sensor configuration to rapidly and accurately detect simulated defects in a geometrically complex, real-world structure, a brake rotor hub. Three different types of defects were physically simulated on the surface of the hub, and the collected data were used to train an autoencoder-based deep learning model. Two models were tested, one using single measurements and the other using multiple measurements taking advantage of the spatial distribution of the sensor network. After training, the multi-measurement model achieved 100 % accuracy in identifying, classifying, and locating unseen, unique damages. This work illustrates the potential of the proposed method for a wide range of industrial applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

OpenFAST Modeling of the T-Omega Wind Floating Offshore Wind Turbine System

To reduce the cost of offshore wind energy through a more efficient design of the floating support structure, T-Omega Wind developed a novel lightweight and shallow-draft platform concept that aims to achieve a wave-following behavior without resonance amplification. The rotor and generator are carried by four tower legs with each leg supported by a shallow-draft float at the base. In preparation for a more detailed analysis, a coupled aero-hydro-elastic model of the proposed concept is developed in OpenFAST. The detailed modeling approach is presented, including a novel application of the SubDyn substructure dynamics module of OpenFAST to approximate the loads on the axle tube at the tower top from the rotor hub bearings. Preliminary results obtained with the OpenFAST model by rigidifying the substructure and blades indicate that the original sizing of the design can lead to large hub acceleration in the axial/surge and pitch directions due to platform-pitch motion. The high axial acceleration also potentially leads to large bending moments in the four tower legs. To address these issues, an updated design is developed with, among other changes, increased float spacing at the tower base and improved shear-transmitting geometry of the tower legs. The new design suggests significantly reduced extreme hub accelerations under the same conditions even with structural flexibility and will be further analyzed in the future through full aero-hydro-servo-elastic simulations.

FOWT↗

OpenFAST Modeling of the T-Omega Wind Floating Offshore Wind Turbine System

To reduce the cost of offshore wind energy through a more efficient design of the floating support structure, T-Omega Wind developed a novel lightweight and shallow-draft platform concept that aims to achieve a wave-following behavior without resonance amplification. The rotor and generator are carried by four tower legs with each leg supported by a shallow-draft float at the base. In preparation for a more detailed analysis, a coupled aero-hydro-elastic model of the proposed concept is developed in OpenFAST. The detailed modeling approach is presented, including a novel application of the SubDyn substructure dynamics module of OpenFAST to approximate the loads on the axle tube at the tower top from the rotor hub bearings. Preliminary results obtained with the OpenFAST model by rigidifying the substructure and blades indicate that the original sizing of the design can lead to large hub acceleration in the axial/surge and pitch directions due to platform-pitch motion. The high axial acceleration also potentially leads to large bending moments in the four tower legs. To address these issues, an updated design is developed with, among other changes, increased float spacing at the tower base and improved shear-transmitting geometry of the tower legs. The new design suggests significantly reduced extreme hub accelerations under the same conditions even with structural flexibility and will be further analyzed in the future through full aero-hydro-servo-elastic simulations.

ENGINEERING,WIND ENERGY↗

OpenFAST Modeling of the T-Omega Wind Floating Offshore Wind Turbine System: Preprint

To reduce the cost of offshore wind energy through a more efficient design of the floating support structure, T-Omega Wind developed a novel lightweight and shallow-draft platform concept that aims to achieve a wave-following behavior without resonance amplification. The rotor and generator are carried by four tower legs with each leg supported by a shallow-draft float at the base. In preparation for a more detailed analysis, a coupled aero-hydro-elastic model of the proposed concept is developed in OpenFAST. The detailed modeling approach is presented, including a novel application of the SubDyn substructure dynamics module of OpenFAST to approximate the loads on the axle tube at the tower top from the rotor hub bearings. Preliminary results obtained with the OpenFAST model by rigidifying the substructure and blades indicate that the original sizing of the design can lead to large hub acceleration in the axial/surge direction and in the pitch direction due to platform-pitch motion. The high hub acceleration also potentially leads to large bending moments in the four tower legs. To address the issue identified, an updated design is developed with, among other changes, increased float spacing at the tower base and improved geometry of the tower legs. The new design suggests significantly reduced extreme platform pitch angles under the same conditions and will be further analyzed in the future through full aero-hydro-servo-elastic simulations.

FOWT↗

Wind Turbine Sound Setbacks and Supply Curves: Ordinances and Extrapolated Trends, 110 Hub Height, 130 Rotor Diameter

This dataset provides a comprehensive set of wind turbine sound setbacks from every residential structure in the contiguous United States (CONUS). A sound setback is defined as the minimum required distance between a residential structure and a hypothetical turbine installation site to ensure that modeled sound levels received at the residence do not exceed local sound ordinances, which are commonly expressed in A-weighted decibels (dBA). Therefore, sound setbacks are a local spatial assessment combining multiple factors, including the sound pressure curve as a function of the observer location (distance and direction) relative to the turbine, local sound regulations, and the geographical distribution of residential structures. The dataset is organized into multiple scenario-based products, detailed as follows: 1. Existing and extrapolated sound setbacks. An existing scenario characterizes sound setbacks only in states or counties that have implemented sound regulations as of 2022. The extrapolated scenarios extend a constant sound threshold to counties that lack explicit sound regulations, with thresholds ranging from 35 to 60 dBA, in 5-dBA increments reflecting the variation observed in current sound ordinances. 2. Sound setbacks in directional and worst scenarios. The directional scenario accounts for the distance and orientation of residential structures relative to a hypothetical turbine location, utilizing the turbine's sound emissions in that specific direction. In contrast, the worst scenario takes loudest sound level at each distance step from the turbine, irrespective of directional considerations, which aligns with current industry practice. 3. Supply curves for Open and Reference Access scenarios. This dataset includes supply curves generated by the reV model, which integrates each of the above sound setbacks into both Open and Reference siting scenarios. In addition, two Open and Reference baselines scenarios were included which do not consider sound setbacks for comparative analysis. All sound setback data are stored in TIF files, with partial maps of the data provided in PNG format. The values in the sound setback raster range from 0 to 1, representing the fraction of developable land within a 90 meter by 90 meter pixel due to sound ordinances. A value of 0 indicates areas where wind energy development is prohibited, while a value of 1 signifies areas fully permissible. The wind turbine parameters used in the sound modeling are based on the land-based turbine from International Energy Agency (IEA), featuring a rated electrical power of 3.4 MW, a rotor diameter of 130 meters, and a hub height of 110 meters. The atmospheric conditions, including wind speed/direction, turbulence, air temperature, relative humidity, and air pressure, that drive the sound generation are obtained from the WIND Toolkit dataset.

Array↗

Wind Turbine Oil and Gas Pipeline Setbacks: Ordinances (2022) and Extrapolated Trends, 115 Hub Height 170 Rotor Diameter

This dataset represents wind energy setback requirements from oil and gas pipelines. A setback requirement is a minimum distance from a pipeline that an energy project may be developed. As of April 2022, no ordinances were discovered for any counties. Such ordinances are likely to arise as regulations continue to expand. Therefore, this dataset applies a median setback equivalent to 1.1 times the turbine tip-height, sourced from trends in other infrastructure. A TIF data file and a PNG map of the data are provided, showing areas where wind energy is prohibited or permitted across the contiguous United States. The turbine parameters used were a hub-height of 115 meters and a rotor diameter of 170 meters, as obtained from the Annual Technology Baseline (ATB) 2022. For further details and citation, please refer to the publication linked below: Lopez, Anthony, Pavlo Pinchuk, Michael Gleason, Wesley Cole, Trieu Mai, Travis Williams, Owen Roberts, Marie Rivers, Mike Bannister, Sophie-Min Thomson, Gabe Zuckerman, and Brian Sergi. 2024. Solar Photovoltaics and Land-Based Wind Technical Potential and Supply Curves for the Contiguous United States: 2023 Edition. Golden, CO: National Renewable Energy Laboratory. NREL/TP-6A20-87843.

Array↗

Wind Turbine Water Setbacks: Ordinances (2022) and Extrapolated Trends, 115 Hub Height 170 Rotor Diameter

This dataset represents wind energy setback requirements from water based on existing county ordinances as of April 2022. A setback requirement is a minimum distance from water that an energy project may be developed, and these varied widely across the counties in which they existed. Two versions are provided: one reflecting only the county ordinances and another incorporating extrapolated trends. In the extrapolated version, a median setback equivalent to 1.1 times the turbine tip-height was applied in counties that lacked specific water setback regulations. A TIF data file and a PNG map of the data are provided for both versions, showing areas where wind energy is prohibited or permitted across the contiguous United States. The turbine parameters used were a hub-height of 115 meters and a rotor diameter of 170 meters, as obtained from the Annual Technology Baseline (ATB) 2022. For further details and citation, please refer to the publication linked below: Lopez, Anthony, Pavlo Pinchuk, Michael Gleason, Wesley Cole, Trieu Mai, Travis Williams, Owen Roberts, Marie Rivers, Mike Bannister, Sophie-Min Thomson, Gabe Zuckerman, and Brian Sergi. 2024. Solar Photovoltaics and Land-Based Wind Technical Potential and Supply Curves for the Contiguous United States: 2023 Edition. Golden, CO: National Renewable Energy Laboratory. NREL/TP-6A20-87843.

Array↗

Wind Turbine Transmission Setbacks: Ordinances (2022) and Extrapolated Trends, 115 Hub Height 170 Rotor Diameter

This dataset represents wind energy setback requirements from transmission based on existing county ordinances as of April 2022. A setback requirement is a minimum distance from transmission infrastructure that an energy project may be developed, and these varied widely across the counties in which they existed. Two versions are provided: one reflecting only the county ordinances and another incorporating extrapolated trends. In the extrapolated version, a median setback equivalent to 1.1 times the turbine tip-height was applied in counties that lacked specific transmission setback regulations. A TIF data file and a PNG map of the data are provided for both versions, showing areas where wind energy is prohibited or permitted across the contiguous United States. The turbine parameters used were a hub-height of 115 meters and a rotor diameter of 170 meters, as obtained from the Annual Technology Baseline (ATB) 2022. For further details and citation, please refer to the publication linked below: Lopez, Anthony, Pavlo Pinchuk, Michael Gleason, Wesley Cole, Trieu Mai, Travis Williams, Owen Roberts, Marie Rivers, Mike Bannister, Sophie-Min Thomson, Gabe Zuckerman, and Brian Sergi. 2024. Solar Photovoltaics and Land-Based Wind Technical Potential and Supply Curves for the Contiguous United States: 2023 Edition. Golden, CO: National Renewable Energy Laboratory. NREL/TP-6A20-87843.

Array↗

Wind Turbine Structure Setbacks: Ordinances (2022) and Extrapolated Trends, 115 Hub Height 170 Rotor Diameter

This dataset represents wind energy setback requirements from structures based on existing county ordinances as of April 2022. A setback requirement is a minimum distance from a structure that an energy project may be developed, and these varied widely across the counties in which they existed. Two versions are provided: one reflecting only the county ordinances and another incorporating extrapolated trends. In the extrapolated version, a median setback equivalent to 2 times the turbine tip-height was applied in counties that lacked specific structure setback regulations. A TIF data file and a PNG map of the data are provided for both versions, showing areas where wind energy is prohibited or permitted across the contiguous United States. The turbine parameters used were a hub-height of 115 meters and a rotor diameter of 170 meters, as obtained from the Annual Technology Baseline (ATB) 2022. For further details and citation, please refer to the publication linked below: Lopez, Anthony, Pavlo Pinchuk, Michael Gleason, Wesley Cole, Trieu Mai, Travis Williams, Owen Roberts, Marie Rivers, Mike Bannister, Sophie-Min Thomson, Gabe Zuckerman, and Brian Sergi. 2024. Solar Photovoltaics and Land-Based Wind Technical Potential and Supply Curves for the Contiguous United States: 2023 Edition. Golden, CO: National Renewable Energy Laboratory. NREL/TP-6A20-87843.

Array↗

Wind Turbine Road Setbacks: Ordinances (2022) and Extrapolated Trends, 115 Hub Height 170 Rotor Diameter

This dataset represents wind energy setback requirements from roads based on existing county ordinances as of April 2022. A setback requirement is a minimum distance from a road that an energy project may be developed, and these varied widely across the counties in which they existed. Two versions are provided: one reflecting only the county ordinances and another incorporating extrapolated trends. In the extrapolated version, a median setback equivalent to 1.1 times the turbine tip-height was applied in counties that lacked specific railroad setback regulations. A TIF data file and a PNG map of the data are provided for both versions, showing areas where wind energy is prohibited or permitted across the contiguous United States. The turbine parameters used were a hub-height of 115 meters and a rotor diameter of 170 meters, as obtained from the Annual Technology Baseline (ATB) 2022. For further details and citation, please refer to the publication linked below: Lopez, Anthony, Pavlo Pinchuk, Michael Gleason, Wesley Cole, Trieu Mai, Travis Williams, Owen Roberts, Marie Rivers, Mike Bannister, Sophie-Min Thomson, Gabe Zuckerman, and Brian Sergi. 2024. Solar Photovoltaics and Land-Based Wind Technical Potential and Supply Curves for the Contiguous United States: 2023 Edition. Golden, CO: National Renewable Energy Laboratory. NREL/TP-6A20-87843.

Array↗

Wind Turbine Railroad Setbacks: Ordinances (2022) and Extrapolated Trends, 115 Hub Height 170 Rotor Diameter

This dataset represents wind energy setback requirements from railroad based on existing county ordinances as of April 2022. A setback requirement is a minimum distance from a railroad that an energy project may be developed, and these varied widely across the counties in which they existed. Two versions are provided: one reflecting only the county ordinances and another incorporating extrapolated trends. In the extrapolated version, a median setback equivalent to 1.1 times the turbine tip-height was applied in counties that lacked specific railroad setback regulations. A TIF data file and a PNG map of the data are provided for both versions, showing areas where wind energy is prohibited or permitted across the contiguous United States. The turbine parameters used were a hub-height of 115 meters and a rotor diameter of 170 meters, as obtained from the Annual Technology Baseline (ATB) 2022. For further details and citation, please refer to the publication linked below: Lopez, Anthony, Pavlo Pinchuk, Michael Gleason, Wesley Cole, Trieu Mai, Travis Williams, Owen Roberts, Marie Rivers, Mike Bannister, Sophie-Min Thomson, Gabe Zuckerman, and Brian Sergi. 2024. Solar Photovoltaics and Land-Based Wind Technical Potential and Supply Curves for the Contiguous United States: 2023 Edition. Golden, CO: National Renewable Energy Laboratory. NREL/TP-6A20-87843.

Array↗

Hardware-in-the-Loop Testing of Utility-Scale Wind Turbine Generators

Historically, wind turbine prototypes were tested in the field, which was--and continues to be--a slow and expensive process. As a result, wind turbine dynamometer facilities were developed to provide a more cost-effective alternative to field testing. New turbine designs were tested and the design models were validated using dynamometers to drive the turbines in a controlled environment. Over the years, both wind turbine dynamometer testing and computer technology have matured and improved, and the two are now being joined to provide hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing. This type of testing uses a computer to simulate the items that are missing from a dynamometer test, such as grid stiffness, voltage, frequency, rotor, and hub. Furthermore, wind input and changing electric grid conditions can now be simulated in real time. This recent advance has greatly increased the utility of dynamometer testing for the development of wind turbine systems.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

2015 Wind Technologies Market Report

Annual wind power capacity additions in the United States surged in 2015 and are projected to continue at a rapid clip in the coming five years. Recent and projected near-term growth is supported by the industry’s primary federal incentive—the production tax credit (PTC)—having been extended for several years (though with a phase-down schedule, described further on pages 68-69), as well as a myriad of state-level policies. Wind additions are also being driven by improvements in the cost and performance of wind power technologies, yielding low power sales prices for utility, corporate, and other purchasers. At the same time, the prospects for growth beyond the current PTC cycle remain uncertain: growth could be blunted by declining federal tax support, expectations for low natural gas prices, and modest electricity demand growth. This annual report—now in its tenth year—provides a detailed overview of developments and trends in the U.S. wind power market, with a particular focus on 2015. The report begins with an overview of key installation-related trends: trends in U.S. wind power capacity growth; how that growth compares to other countries and generation sources; the amount and percentage of wind energy in individual states; the status of offshore wind power development; and the quantity of proposed wind power capacity in various interconnection queues in the United States. Next, the report covers an array of wind power industry trends: developments in turbine manufacturer market share; manufacturing and supply-chain developments; wind turbine and component imports into and exports from the United States; project financing developments; and trends among wind power project owners and power purchasers. The report then turns to a summary of wind turbine technology trends: turbine size, hub height, rotor diameter, specific power, and IEC Class. After that, the report discusses wind power performance, cost, and pricing trends. In so doing, it describes trends in project performance, wind turbine transaction prices, installed project costs, and operations and maintenance (O&M) expenses. It also reviews the prices paid for wind power in the United States and how those prices compare to short-term wholesale electricity prices and forecasts of future natural gas prices. Next, the report examines policy and market factors impacting the domestic wind power market, including federal and state policy drivers as well as transmission and grid integration issues. The report concludes with a preview of possible near-term market developments. This edition of the annual report updates data presented in previous editions while highlighting key trends and important new developments from 2015. The report concentrates on larger, utility-scale wind turbines, defined here as individual turbines that exceed 100 kW in size.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

Coupled wind turbine design and layout optimization with nonhomogeneous wind turbines

Abstract. In this study, wind farms were optimized to show the benefit of coupling complete turbine design and layout optimization as well as including two different turbine designs in a fixed 1-to-1 ratio in a single wind farm. For our purposes, the variables in each turbine optimization include hub height, rotor diameter, rated power, tower diameter, tower shell thickness, and implicit blade chord-and-twist distributions. A 32-turbine wind farm and a 60-turbine wind farm were both considered, as well as a variety of turbine spacings and wind shear exponents. Structural constraints as well as turbine costs were considered in the optimization. Results indicate that coupled turbine design and layout optimization is superior to sequentially optimizing turbine design, then turbine layout. Coupled optimization results in an additional 2 %–5 % reduction in the cost of energy compared to optimizing sequentially for wind farms with turbine spacings of 8.5–11 rotor diameters. Smaller wind farms benefit even more from coupled optimization. Furthermore, wind farms with closely spaced wind turbines can greatly benefit from nonuniform turbine design throughout the farm. Some of these wind farms with heterogeneous turbine design have an additional 10 % cost-of-energy reduction compared to wind farms with identical turbines throughout the farm.

Stanley, Andrew P. J.↗

Cost of Wind Energy in the United States: Trends from 2007 to 2012 (Presentation)

This presentation provides an overview of recent technology trends observed in the United States including project size, turbine size, rotor diameter, hub height, annual average wind speed, and annual energy production. It also highlights area where system analysis is required to fully understand how these technology trends relate to the cost of wind energy.

17 WIND ENERGY↗