Exploring the performance of horizontal axis wind turbine in yawed turbulent flows through wind tunnel experiments

Siyao Yang, Kun Lin and Annan Zhou

Renewable Energy, 2025, vol. 243, issue C

Abstract: Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (HAWTs) inevitably operate in yawing and turbulent flows and thus demand a clear understanding of their performance in these flow environments. This study presents experimental investigations of a scaled HAWT model tested in an atmospheric boundary layer wind tunnel, focusing on the effects of turbulence intensity and yaw angle on performance. Comprehensive tests and analyses were carried out to elucidate the structural responses and dynamic/aerodynamics characteristics of the HAWT. Through scale conversion relationships, we bridge the gap between model and prototype, while numerical fitting that is based on the experimental results unveils overarching trends of the HAWT behavior. The results indicate that the performance of HAWTs is significantly related to turbulence intensity and yaw angle. The nacelle displacement of HAWTs may exceed operational limits with high turbulence and extensive yaw. Moreover, a notable interplay between tip speed ratio and natural frequency can be observed, alongside a significant impact of yaw angle on power coefficient. This experimental study not only enhances our comprehension of HAWT dynamics but also furnishes invaluable insights into their operational intricacies across diverse inflow scenarios.

Keywords: Horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT); Turbulence intensity; Yaw angle; Wind turbine aerodynamics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960148125002411
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:renene:v:243:y:2025:i:c:s0960148125002411

DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2025.122579

Access Statistics for this article

Renewable Energy is currently edited by Soteris A. Kalogirou and Paul Christodoulides

More articles in Renewable Energy from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().