Numerical Study of the Impact of Atmospheric Stratification on a Wind-Turbine Performance

Abstract

This paper is aimed to obtain a better understanding of how a stably stratified atmospheric condition involving low-level jet, in comparison to neutral condition, affects to a wind-turbine performance. In this work, large-eddy simulation approach in combination with actuator-line model is used to simulate the wake flows in an infinitely long wind farm. Here, numerical simulations of the wind-turbine wakes are carried out under the influence of neutral and stable conditions. The numerical results are compared between the two atmospheric conditions. It has been seen that the wind-turbine performance is highly influenced under the stable conditions. For an infinitely long wind-farm scenario, the power produced by a turbine under the stable condition is smaller by 81% than that under the neutral condition.