MS#03.1 Gust Generation in Wind Tunnels for Wind Energy Research
O. UZOL¹, M. PERCIN¹, M. HÖLLING²
¹ Middle East Technical University|² Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, ForWind Germany Aerodynamics, aeroelasticity and acoustics
Aerodynamics, aeroelasticity and acoustics
Interest in renewable energy technologies, particularly in wind energy, has an ever-increasing trend, further promoted by movements towards a world with zero emissions to mitigate global climate change. Accordingly, the capacity of wind-generated energy has seen dramatic growth over the past decade. However, maintaining this progress will require even more effort such as building more durable wind turbines with long life cycles. Yet, wind turbines are occasionally subjected to extreme flow conditions, such as gusts, that hinder the durability of various components. Atmospheric gusts may cause substantial fatigue loads, power production fluctuations, and structural failures, which makes it essential to study gust effects on the performance and health of turbine designs in wind tunnels. The generation of realistic atmospheric gusty flows in wind tunnels is another challenge, which often requires the use of complex flow modulation systems.This mini-symposium aims to address the challenges associated with in-tunnel generation of atmospheric gusts pertinent to wind turbine operation as well as the aerodynamic response of wind turbines to these sudden inflow variations. Specifically, it will explore different methods to generate extreme gust conditions described in IEC standards in wind tunnels, such as the use of jets, oscillating vanes, and active grids. Moreover, the response of wind turbines or representative geometries in terms of aerodynamic loads, wake flow dynamics, and gust mitigation techniques will be covered. Contributions to this symposium are expected to include experimental investigations.
By bringing together the experts in wind tunnel testing and wind-turbine aerodynamics, the mini-symposium aims to advance the current level of knowledge on wind tunnel gust generation strategies for wind energy-related studies and gain a better understanding of the transient aerodynamic response of wind turbines subjecting to extreme gust conditions, which will contribute to the progress of wind turbine technologies.