RANS modeling of a single wind turbine wake in the unstable surface layer

Abstract

Unstable atmospheric conditions are often observed during the daytime over land and for significant periods offshore and are hence relevant for wake studies. A simple k-ϵ RANS turbulence model for simulation of wind turbine wakes in the unstable surface layer is presented, which is based on Monin-Obukhov similarity theory (MOST). The turbulence model parametrizes buoyant production of turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) without the use of an active temperature equation, and flow balance is ensured throughout the domain by modifications of the turbulence transport equations. Large eddy simulations and experimental data from the literature are used for validation of the model.