Farm blockage model validation using pre and post construction LiDAR measurements

Abstract

This study discusses the characterization of farm blockage for an Onshore site. A test campaign was designed to measure the effects of farm induction upstream of a row of turbines. 5 LiDARs were dispersed on a site in North America. Measurement periods took place before and after erection of the turbines. A thorough characterization of the wind conditions is performed using the measurement from the pre-construction period. During nighttime, vertical profiles reveal the occurrence of low-level jet (LLJ) structure, and LiDAR-to-LiDAR horizontal variations in the measured wind speed are strong. Therefore, the analysis focuses on the daytime data only. Impact of farm blockage is quantified by analyzing variations of measured wind speed, relative to a LiDAR of reference, between the pre- and post-construction periods. These wind speed variations measured by the LiDARs, therefore, give insights on how the flow is distorted upstream of the row of turbines, but also within the inter-turbine space in the row. Additionally, the wind farm is simulated using a new CFD-based engineering model for blockage. Simulation results show very good agreement with the measurements, demonstrating the ability of the model to capture the underlying physics. The last part of the paper discusses the range of applicability of the test campaign results and proposes ways to further improve farm blockage characterization.