The effects of turbulent air streams and corrugated surfaces on the output of a wind turbine

Abstract

It is challenging to select the area that best fit the installation of wind turbines within complex and forestry terrains. This study aims to highlight the effects of corrugated surfaces on the characteristics of a turbulent wind flow, and on the performance of a wind turbine installed within this topography. It is hypothesized that a sinusoidal wave can be utilized to describe a corrugated surface. The physical stance was analytically modeled based on conservation principles of mass and mechanical energy. Model’s mathematical equation was then solved, by adopting finite difference method and MATLAB’s Bvp4c algorithm. The results show that wind and turbine related parameters are affected by the evolved atmospheric Boundary Layer (ABL) and differed according to the location within the boundary layer (BL) from the leading part to the edge, where BL’s retarding effects diminishes. The study also proves that velocity and turbine harvested power are inversely proportional to the corrugated surface’s amplitude, and to the wind’s turbulence ratio. On the other hand, it demonstrates a direct proportion between boundary layer thickness (BLT) and corrugated surfaces-related parameters. To the contrary of previous works, this study concentrated on capturing interaction effects between wind turbine, atmospheric inflow, and complex terrains.