Computations of the Flow around a Wind Turbine: Grid Sensitivity Study and the Influence of Inlet Conditions

The flow around a complete model wind turbine is computed using LES and the immersed boundary method. The influence of inlet velocity profile and turbulence level is evaluated. The inlet velocity profile was found to have major influence in the upper regions of the flow field. The imposed turbulence level had no major influence on the turbulent spectra but it's effect is clearly seen on the generated vortices.