Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Large-Eddy Simulation of Atmospheric Boundary-Layer Flow Through a Wind Farm Sited on Topography

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Boundary-Layer Meteorology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Large-eddy simulation (LES) has recently been well validated and applied in the context of wind turbines over flat terrain; however, to date its accuracy has not been tested systematically in the case of turbine-wake flows over topography. Here, we investigate the wake flow in a wind farm situated on hilly terrain using LES for a case where wind-tunnel experimental data are available. To this end, first boundary-layer flow is simulated over a two-dimensional hill in order to characterize the spatial distribution of the mean velocity and the turbulence statistics. A flow simulation is then performed through a wind farm consisting of five horizontal-axis wind turbines sited over the same hill in an aligned layout. The resulting flow characteristics are compared with the former case, i.e., without wind turbines. To assess the validity of the simulations, the results are compared with the wind-tunnel measurements. It is found that LES can reproduce the flow field effectively, and, specifically, the speed-up over the hilltop and the velocity deficit and turbulence intensity enhancement induced by the turbines are well captured by the simulations. Besides, the vertical profiles of the mean velocity and turbulence intensity at different streamwise positions match well those for the experiment. In addition, another numerical experiment is carried out to show how higher (and more realistic) thrust coefficients of the turbines lead to stronger wakes and, at the same time, higher turbulence intensities.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
Fig. 14
Fig. 15

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abkar M, Porté-Agel F (2012) A new boundary condition for large-eddy simulation of boundary-layer flow over surface roughness transitions. J Turbul 13(23):1–18

    Google Scholar 

  • Albertson JD, Parlange MB (1999) Surfaces length scales and shear stress: implications for land-atmosphere interactions over complex terrain. Water Resour Res 35:2121–2132

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arya SPS, Shipman MS (1981) An experimental investigation of flow and diffusion in the disturbed boundary-layer flow over a ridge - I. mean flow and turbulence structure. Atmos Environ 15:1173–1184

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bechmann A, Sørensen NN, Berg J, Mann J, Réthoré PE (2011) The bolund experiment, part II: blind comparison of microscale flow models. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 141(2):245–271. doi:10.1007/s10546-011-9637-x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berg J, Mann J, Bechmann A, Courtney M, Jørgensen H (2011) The Bolund experiment, part I: flow over a steep, three-dimensional hill. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 141:219–243

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bradley E (1980) An experimental study of the profiles of wind speed, shearing stress and turbulence at the crest of a large hill. Q J R Meteorol Soc 106:101–123

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bradley EF (1983) The influence of thermal stability and angle of incidence on the acceleration of wind up a slope. J Wind Eng Ind Aerodyn 15:231–242

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Britter RE, Hunt JCR, Richards KJ (1981) Air flow over a two-dimensional hill: studies of velocity speed-up, roughness effects and turbulence. Q J R Meteorol Soc 107:91–110

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clark TL (1977) A small-scale dynamic model using a terrain-following transformation. J Comput Phys 24:186–215

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Deaves DM (1976) Wind over hills: a numerical approach. Q J R Meteorol Soc 1:371–391

    Google Scholar 

  • Deaves DM (1980) Computations of wind flow over two-dimensional hills and embankments. J Wind Eng Ind Aerodyn 6:89–111

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diebold M, Higgins C, Fang J, Bechmann A, Parlange MB (2013) Flow over hills: a large-eddy simulation of the bolund case. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 148(1):177–194. doi:10.1007/s10546-013-9807-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dörnbrack A, Schumann U (1993) Numerical simulation of turbulent convective flow over wavy terrain. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 65:323–355

    Google Scholar 

  • Finnigan JJ, Raupach MR, Bradley EF, Aldiss GK (1990) A wind tunnel study of turbulent flow over a two-dimensional ridge. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 50:277–317

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gong W, Taylor P, Dörnbrack A (1996) Turbulent boundary-layer flow over fixed aerodynamically rough two-dimensional sinusoidal waves. J Fluid Mech 312:1–37

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hansen KS, Barthelmie RJ, Jensen LE, Sommer A (2012) The impact of turbulence intensity and atmospheric stability on power deficits due to wind turbine wakes at horns rev wind farm. Wind Energy 15(1):183–196

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Helmis C, Papadopoulos K, Asimakopoulos D, Papageorgas P, Soilemes A (1995) An experimental study of the near wake structure of a wind turbine operating over complex terrain. Solar Energy 54(6):413–428

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hemon A, Huberson S, Zervos A (1991) Numerical study of wind turbine operation in complex terrain. In: Quarton DC, Fenton VC (eds) Proceedings of the 13th British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) conference. Wind Energy Conversion, Swansea, UK, pp 343–349

  • Hunt JCR, Leibovich S, Richards KJ (1988) Turbulent shear flow over low hills. Q J R Meteorol Soc 114:1435–1470

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iizuka S, Kondo H (2004) Performance of various sub-grid scale models in large-eddy simulation of turbulent flow over complex terrain. Atmos Environ 38:7083–7091

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ishihara T, Hibi K, Oikawa S (1999) A wind tunnel study of turbulent flow over a three-dimensional steep hill. J Wind Eng Ind Aerodyn 83:95–107

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jackson PS, Hunt JCR (1975) Turbulent wind flow over a low hill. Q J R Meteorol Soc 101:929–955

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jenkins GJ, Mason PJ, Moores WH, Sykes RI (1981) Measurements of the flow structure around Ailsa Craig, a steep, three-dimensional, isolated hill. Q J R Meteorol Soc 107:833–851

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krettenauer K, Schumann U (1992) Numerical simulation of turbulent convection over wavy terrain. J Fluid Mech 237:261–299

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mason PJ (1986) Flow over the summit of an isolated hill. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 37:385–405

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mason PJ (1994) Large-eddy simulation: a critical review of the technique. Q J R Meteorol Soc 120:1–26

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mason PJ, King JC (1985) Measurements and predictions of flow and turbulence over an isolated hill of moderate slope. Q J R Meteorol Soc 111:617–640

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mason PJ, Sykes RI (1979) Flow over an isolated hill of moderate slope. Q J R Meteorol Soc 105:383–395

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moeng C (1984) A large-eddy simulation model for the study of planetary boundary-layer turbulence. J Atmos Sci 46:2311–2330

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Monin A, Obukhov M (1954) Basic laws of turbulent mixing in the ground layer of the atmosphere. Tr Akad Nauk SSSR Geophiz Inst 24:163–187

    Google Scholar 

  • Pearse JR, Lindley D, Stevenson DC (1981) Wind flow over ridges in simulated atmospheric boundary layers. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 21:77–92

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peskin CS (1972) Flow patterns around heart valves—numerical method. J Comput Phys 10(2):252–271

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Politis ES, Prospathopoulos J, Cabezon D, Hansen KS, Chaviaropoulos PK, Barthelmie RJ (2012) Modeling wake effects in large wind farms in complex terrain: the problem, the methods and the issues. Wind Energy 15:161–182

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Porté-Agel F, Meneveau C, Parlange MB (2000) A scale-dependent dynamic model for large-eddy simulation: application to a neutral atmospheric boundary layer. J Fluid Mech 415:261–284

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Porté-Agel F, Wu YT, Lu H, Conzemius RJ (2011) Large-eddy simulation of atmospheric boundary layer flow through wind turbines and wind farms. J Wind Eng Ind Aerodyn 99(4):154–168

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raithby GD, Stubley GD, Taylor PA (1987) The Askervein hill project: a finite control volume prediction of three-dimensional flows over the hills. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 39:247–267

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Snyder WH, Khurshudyan LH, Nekrasov IV, Lawson RE, Thompson RS (1991) Flow and dispersion of pollutants within two-dimensional valleys. Atmos Environ 25A:1347–1375

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stoll R, Porté-Agel F (2006a) Dynamic subgrid-scale models for momentum and scalar fluxes in large-eddy simulation of neutrally stratified atmospheric boundary layers over heterogeneous terrain. Water Resour Res 42(W01):409. doi:10.1029/2005WR003989

    Google Scholar 

  • Stoll R, Porté-Agel F (2006b) Effect of roughness on surface boundary conditions for large-eddy simulation. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 118:169–187

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sykes RI (1980) An asymptotic theory of incompressible turbulent boundary-layer flow over a small hump. J Fluid Mech 101:647–670

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Takahashi T, Kato S, Murakami S, Ooka R, Yassin M, Kono R (2005) Wind tunnel tests of effects of atmospheric stability on turbulent flow over a three-dimensional hill. J Wind Eng Ind Aerodyn 93(2):155–169

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor PA (1977) Numerical studies of neutrally stratified planetary boundary-layer flow above gentle topography. I: two-dimensional cases. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 12:37–60

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor P, Gent PR (1974) A model of atmospheric boundary-layer flow above an isolated two-dimensional ‘hill’: an example of flow above gentle topography. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 7:349–362

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor P, Teunissen H (1987) The Askervein hill project: overview and background data. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 39:15–39

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor GJ, Smith D (1991) Wake measurements over complex terrain. In: Quarton DC, Fenton VC (eds) Proceedings of the 13th British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) conference. Wind Energy Conversion, Swansea, UK, pp 335–342

  • Teunissen H, Shokr M, Bowen A, Wood C, Green D (1987) The Askervein hill project: wind tunnel simulations at three length scales. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 40:1–29

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tian W, Ozbay A, Yuan W, Sarkar P, Hu H (2013) An experimental study on the performances of wind turbines over complex terrains. In: 51st Am Inst Aeronaut Astronaut Aerospace Sci. Mtg., Grapevine, TX, USA

  • Tseng YH, Meneveau C, Parlange MB (2006) Modeling flow around bluff bodies and predicting urban dispersion using large eddy simulation. Environ Sci Technol 40:2653–2662

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Uchida T, Ohya Y (1999) Numerical simulation of atmospheric flow over complex terrain. J Wind Eng Ind Aerodyn 81(1–3):283–293. doi:10.1016/S0167-6105(99)00024-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Voutsinas SG, Rados KG, Zervos A (1990) The effect of the non-uniformity of the wind velocity field in the optimal design of wind parks. In: Palz W (ed) Proceedings of the 1990 European Community Wind Energy conference, Madrid, Spain, pp 181–185

  • Wan F, Porté-Agel F (2011) Large-eddy simulation of stably-stratified flow over a steep hill. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 138(3):367–384

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wan F, Porté-Agel F, Stoll R (2007) Evaluation of dynamic subgrid-scale models in large-eddy simulations of neutral turbulent flow over a two-dimensional sinusoidal hill. Atmos Environ 41(13):2719–2728

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wood N (2000) Wind flowover complex terrain: a historical perspective and the prospect for large-eddy modelling. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 96:11–32

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu YT, Porté-Agel F (2011) Large-eddy simulation of wind-turbine wakes: evaluation of turbine parametrisations. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 138(3):345–366

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu YT, Porté-Agel F (2013) Simulation of turbulent flow inside and above wind farms: model validation and layout effects. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 146(2):181–205

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang X, Sotiropoulos F, Conzemius RJ, Wachtler JN, Strong MB (2014) Large-eddy simulation of turbulent flow past wind turbines/farms: the virtual wind simulator (VWiS). Wind Energy 18:2025–2045. doi:10.1002/we.1802

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zeman O, Jensen NO (1987) Modification of turbulence characteristics in flow over hills. Q J R Meteorol Soc 113:55–80

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by EOS (Energie Ouest Suisse) Holding, the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (Grant SI/501337-01) and the Swiss Innovation and Technology Committee (CTI) within the context of the Swiss Competence Center for Energy Research “FURIES: Future Swiss Electrical Infrastructure”. Computing resources were provided by the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS) under Project IDs s599 and s542.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Wind Engineering and Renewable Energy Laboratory (WIRE), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), EPFL-ENAC-IIE-WIRE, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Sina Shamsoddin & Fernando Porté-Agel

Authors
  1. Sina Shamsoddin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Fernando Porté-Agel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Fernando Porté-Agel.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Online Resource 1 Animation of contours of the instantaneous streamwise velocity component in the vertical midplane of the domain in the case without the turbines (14112 KB)

Online Resource 2 Animation of contours of the instantaneous streamwise velocity component in the vertical midplane of the domain in the case with turbines of high \(C_T\) (14366 KB)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Shamsoddin, S., Porté-Agel, F. Large-Eddy Simulation of Atmospheric Boundary-Layer Flow Through a Wind Farm Sited on Topography. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 163, 1–17 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-016-0216-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-016-0216-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation