Towards a simplified dynamic wake model using POD analysis

Abstract

We apply a modified proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) to large eddy simulation data of a wind turbine wake in a turbulent atmospheric boundary layer. The turbine is modeled as an actuator disk. Our analysis mainly focuses on the pragmatic identification of spatial modes, which yields a low order description of the wake flow. This reduction to a few degrees of freedom is a crucial first step for the development of simplified dynamic wake models based on modal decompositions. It is shown that only a few modes are necessary to capture the basic dynamical aspects of quantities that are relevant to a turbine in the wake flow. Furthermore, we show that the importance of the individual modes depends on the relevant quantity chosen. Therefore, the optimal choice of modes for a possible model could in principle depend on the application of interest. We additionally present a possible interpretation of the extracted modes by relating them to the specific properties of the wake. For example, the first mode is related to the horizontal large-scale movement.