Brief communication: A double-Gaussian wake model

Abstract

In this paper, an analytical wake model with a double-Gaussian velocity distribution is presented, improving on a similar formulation by Keane et al. (2016). The choice of a double-Gaussian shape function is motivated by the behavior of the near-wake region that is observed in numerical simulations and experimental measurements. The method is based on the conservation of momentum principle, while stream-tube theory is used to determine the wake expansion at the tube outlet. The model is calibrated and validated using large eddy simulations replicating scaled wind turbine experiments. Results show that the tuned double-Gaussian model is superior to a single-Gaussian formulation in the near-wake region.