Performance evaluation of a horizontal axis wind turbine in operation

The operation of modern horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT) includes a number of important factors, such as wind power (P), power coefficient (C_P), axial flow induction factor (a), rotational speed (Ω), tip speed ratio (λ), and thrust force (T). The aerodynamic qualities of these aspects are evaluated and discussed in this study. For this aim, the measured data are obtained from the Sebenoba Wind Energy Power Plant (WEPP) that is located in the Sebenoba region in Hatay, Turkey, and a wind turbine with a capacity of 2 MW is selected for evaluation. According to the results obtained, the maximum turbine power output, maximum power coefficient, maximum axial flow induction factor, maximum thrust force, optimum rotational speed, probability density of optimum rotational speed, and optimum tip speed ratio are found to be 2 MW, 30%, 0.091, 140 kN, 16.11 rpm, 46.76%, and 7, respectively. This study has revealed that wind turbines must work under optimum conditions in order to extract as much energy as possible for approaching the ideal limit.     

The effects of sinusoidal leading edge of turbine blades on the power coefficient of horizontal-axis wind turbine (HAWT)

In order to improve the aerodynamic performance of horizontal-axis wind turbine (HAWT), a sinusoidal shape is applied to turbine blade. In this study, four types of modified blades were chosen based on variations in amplitude and wavelength of protuberance along the leading edge. Compared with the baseline model, the power coefficients (C_p) of HAWT with modified blades were improved, especially at low tip speed ratios. At low wind speed (V = 6 m/s), blades with short wavelength obtain significant improvement in C_p compared with the baseline model. As wind speed increases, this improvement decreases. In addition, turbine blade with large amplitude and long wavelength obtains better C_p values at higher wind speeds than lower ones, which have a great potential to be more superior at relatively higher wind speeds.     

Numerical modeling and optimization of a power augmented S-type vertical axis wind turbine

An axial symmetry augmented vertical axis wind turbine, which is suitable for arbitrary wind directions, is proposed in this paper. In order to improve the power generation ability of the S-type vertical axis wind turbine, a set of so-called “collection-shield boards” are installed symmetrically around the rotating S-type rotor. The flow fields around this type of wind turbine are numerically simulated with the aid of CFD method. The optimized design of geometrical parameters of the rotor and collection-shield boards is conducted by using the orthogonal design method. The obtained results suggest that the power output of the optimized augmented wind turbine can reach nearly three times higher than that of the conventional S-type vertical axis wind turbine.     

A hybrid model based on smooth transition periodic autoregressive and Elman artificial neural network for wind speed forecasting of the Hebei region in China

Wind energy, one of the most promising renewable and clean energy sources, is becoming increasingly significant for sustainable energy development and environmental protection. Given the relationship between wind power and wind speed, precise prediction of wind speed for wind energy estimation and wind power generation is important. For proper and efficient evaluation of wind speed, a smooth transition periodic autoregressive (STPAR) model is developed to predict the six-hourly wind speeds. In addition, the Elman artificial neural network (EANN)-based error correction technique has also been integrated into the new STPAR model to improve model performance. To verify the developed approach, the six-hourly wind speed series during the period of 2000–2009 in the Hebei region of China is used for model construction and model testing. The proposed EANN-STPAR hybrid model has demonstrated its powerful forecasting capacity for wind speed series with complicated characteristics of linearity, seasonality and nonlinearity, which indicates that the proposed hybrid model is notably efficient and practical for wind speed forecasting, especially for the Hebei wind farms of China.     

Effect of high-voltage direct current link on small signal stability of a power system with different penetration level of doubly fed induction generator and direct drive synchronous generator based wind farms

High penetration level of wind power has significant impact on the dynamic performance of power system. Power system with existing high-voltage direct current (HVDC) link may influence the stability of power system at high penetration level of wind power. This article investigates the stability issues of power system with existing HVDC link for different penetration level of doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) and direct drive synchronous generator (DDSG) based wind farms. The small signal stability analysis shows that power system with HVDC link has improved the stability of the power system for increased penetration of DFIG- and DDSG-based wind farms.