An experimental case study of complex topographic and atmospheric influences on wind turbine performance

A wind tunnel study was conducted in which a scale model wind turbine was placed in a closed circuit atmospheric boundary layer wind tunnel with various inow and thermal congurations. Each test was designed to gain a better understanding of the production via direct measurement of turbine voltage and loading of the turbine due to upstream perturbations. The experimental setup provided a comparison between the variation in turbine voltage with the variation in rotor rotational velocity, measured with a tachometer. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) and hot-wire anemometer measurements, supported by temperature proles to determine inow conditions, were used to describe the ow upwind and downwind of the model wind turbine. This case study involving three stability conditions and complex topography was developed to provide insight on how perturbations and the resulting turbulence aects the turbine. The results displayed herein provide information on the impact of stratication and complex topography on turbine voltage output.