Use of Bayesian networks classifiers for long-term mean wind turbine energy output estimation at a potential wind energy conversion site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carta, Jose A.; Velazquez, Sergio; Matias, J.M.

2011-01-01

Due to the interannual variability of wind speed a feasibility analysis for the installation of a Wind Energy Conversion System at a particular site requires estimation of the long-term mean wind turbine energy output. A method is proposed in this paper which, based on probabilistic Bayesian networks (BNs), enables estimation of the long-term mean wind speed histogram for a site where few measurements of the wind resource are available. For this purpose, the proposed method allows the use of multiple reference stations with a long history of wind speed and wind direction measurements. That is to say, the model that is proposed in this paper is able to involve and make use of regional information about the wind resource. With the estimated long-term wind speed histogram and the power curve of a wind turbine it is possible to use the method of bins to determine the long-term mean energy output for that wind turbine. The intelligent system employed, the knowledgebase of which is a joint probability function of all the model variables, uses efficient calculation techniques for conditional probabilities to perform the reasoning. This enables automatic model learning and inference to be performed efficiently based on the available evidence. The proposed model is applied in this paper to wind speeds and wind directions recorded at four weather stations located in the Canary Islands (Spain). Ten years of mean hourly wind speed and direction data are available for these stations. One of the conclusions reached is that the BN with three reference stations gave fewer errors between the real and estimated long-term mean wind turbine energy output than when using two measure-correlate-predict algorithms which were evaluated and which use a linear regression between the candidate station and one reference station.

Large-scale wind power integration and wholesale electricity trading benefits: Estimation via an ex post approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gil, Hugo A.; Gomez-Quiles, Catalina; Riquelme, Jesus

2012-01-01

The integration of large-scale wind power has brought about a series of challenges to the power industry, but at the same time a number of benefits are being realized. Among those, the ability of wind power to cause a decline in the electricity market prices has been recognized. In quantifying this effect, some models used in recent years are based on simulations of the market supply-side and the price clearing process. The accuracy of the estimates depend on the quality of the input data, the veracity of the adopted scenarios and the rigorousness of the solution technique. In this work, a series of econometric techniques based on actual ex post wind power and electricity price data are implemented for the estimation of the impact of region-wide wind power integration on the local electricity market clearing prices and the trading savings that stem from this effect. The model is applied to the case of Spain, where the estimated savings are compared against actual credit and bonus expenses to ratepayers. The implications and extent of these results for current and future renewable energy policy-making are discussed. - Highlights: ► Wholesale electricity market trading benefits by wind power are quantified. ► Actual wind power forecast-based bids and electricity price data from Spain are used. ► Different econometric tools are used and compared for improved estimation accuracy. ► Estimated benefits outweigh current credit overhead paid to wind farms in Spain. ► An economically efficient benefit surplus allocation framework is proposed.

Estimating near-shore wind resources

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Floors, Rogier Ralph; Hahmann, Andrea N.; Peña, Alfredo

An evaluation and sensitivity study using the WRF mesoscale model to estimate the wind in a coastal area is performed using a unique data set consisting of scanning, profiling and floating lidars. The ability of the WRF model to represent the wind speed was evaluated by running the model for a four...... grid spacings were performed for each of the two schemes. An evaluation of the wind profile using vertical profilers revealed small differences in modelled mean wind speed between the different set-ups, with the YSU scheme predicting slightly higher mean wind speeds. Larger differences between...... the different simulations were observed when comparing the root-mean-square error (RMSE) between modelled and measured wind, with the ERA interim-based simulations having the lowest errors. The simulations with finer horizontal grid spacing had a larger MSE. Horizontal transects of mean wind speed across...

Wind speed estimation using multilayer perceptron

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Velo, Ramón; López, Paz; Maseda, Francisco

2014-01-01

Highlights: • We present a method for determining the average wind speed using neural networks. • We use data from that site in the short term and data from other nearby stations. • The inputs used in the ANN were wind speed and direction data from a station. • The method allows knowing the wind speed without topographical data. - Abstract: Wind speed knowledge is prerequisite in the siting of wind turbines. In consequence the wind energy use requires meticulous and specified knowledge of the wind characteristics at a location. This paper presents a method for determining the annual average wind speed at a complex terrain site by using neural networks, when only short term data are available for that site. This information is useful for preliminary calculations of the wind resource at a remote area having only a short time period of wind measurements measurement in a site. Artificial neural networks are useful for implementing non-linear process variables over time, and therefore are a useful tool for estimating the wind speed. The neural network used is multilayer perceptron with three layers and the supervised learning algorithm used is backpropagation. The inputs used in the neural network were wind speed and direction data from a single station, and the training patterns used correspond to sixty days data. The results obtained by simulating the annual average wind speed at the selected site based on data from nearby stations with correlation coefficients above 0.5 were satisfactory, compared with actual values. Reliable estimations were obtained, with errors below 6%

Artificial neural network approach to spatial estimation of wind velocity data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oztopal, Ahmet

2006-01-01

In any regional wind energy assessment, equal wind velocity or energy lines provide a common basis for meaningful interpretations that furnish essential information for proper design purposes. In order to achieve regional variation descriptions, there are methods of optimum interpolation with classical weighting functions or variogram methods in Kriging methodology. Generally, the weighting functions are logically and geometrically deduced in a deterministic manner, and hence, they are imaginary first approximations for regional variability assessments, such as wind velocity. Geometrical weighting functions are necessary for regional estimation of the regional variable at a location with no measurement, which is referred to as the pivot station from the measurements of a set of surrounding stations. In this paper, weighting factors of surrounding stations necessary for the prediction of a pivot station are presented by an artificial neural network (ANN) technique. The wind speed prediction results are compared with measured values at a pivot station. Daily wind velocity measurements in the Marmara region from 1993 to 1997 are considered for application of the ANN methodology. The model is more appropriate for winter period daily wind velocities, which are significant for energy generation in the study area. Trigonometric point cumulative semivariogram (TPCSV) approach results are compared with the ANN estimations for the same set of data by considering the correlation coefficient (R). Under and over estimation problems in objective analysis can be avoided by the ANN approach

Objective estimation of tropical cyclone innercore surface wind structure using infrared satellite images

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Changjiang; Dai, Lijie; Ma, Leiming; Qian, Jinfang; Yang, Bo

2017-10-01

An objective technique is presented for estimating tropical cyclone (TC) innercore two-dimensional (2-D) surface wind field structure using infrared satellite imagery and machine learning. For a TC with eye, the eye contour is first segmented by a geodesic active contour model, based on which the eye circumference is obtained as the TC eye size. A mathematical model is then established between the eye size and the radius of maximum wind obtained from the past official TC report to derive the 2-D surface wind field within the TC eye. Meanwhile, the composite information about the latitude of TC center, surface maximum wind speed, TC age, and critical wind radii of 34- and 50-kt winds can be combined to build another mathematical model for deriving the innercore wind structure. After that, least squares support vector machine (LSSVM), radial basis function neural network (RBFNN), and linear regression are introduced, respectively, in the two mathematical models, which are then tested with sensitivity experiments on real TC cases. Verification shows that the innercore 2-D surface wind field structure estimated by LSSVM is better than that of RBFNN and linear regression.

Wind-Climate Estimation Based on Mesoscale and Microscale Modeling: Statistical-Dynamical Downscaling for Wind Energy Applications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Badger, Jake; Frank, Helmut; Hahmann, Andrea N.

2014-01-01

This paper demonstrates that a statistical dynamical method can be used to accurately estimate the wind climate at a wind farm site. In particular, postprocessing of mesoscale model output allows an efficient calculation of the local wind climate required for wind resource estimation at a wind...

First Passage Probability Estimation of Wind Turbines by Markov Chain Monte Carlo

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sichani, Mahdi Teimouri; Nielsen, Søren R.K.

2013-01-01

Markov Chain Monte Carlo simulation has received considerable attention within the past decade as reportedly one of the most powerful techniques for the first passage probability estimation of dynamic systems. A very popular method in this direction capable of estimating probability of rare events...... of the method by modifying the conditional sampler. In this paper, applicability of the original SS is compared to the recently introduced modifications of the method on a wind turbine model. The model incorporates a PID pitch controller which aims at keeping the rotational speed of the wind turbine rotor equal...... to its nominal value. Finally Monte Carlo simulations are performed which allow assessment of the accuracy of the first passage probability estimation by the SS methods....

Wind and turbulence measurements by the Middle and Upper Atmosphere Radar (MUR: comparison of techniques

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. A. Praskovsky

2004-11-01

Full Text Available The structure-function-based method (referred to as UCAR-STARS, a technique for estimating mean horizontal winds, variances of three turbulent velocity components and horizontal momentum flux was applied to the Middle and Upper atmosphere Radar (MUR operating in spaced antenna (SA profiling mode. The method is discussed and compared with the Holloway and Doviak (HAD correlation-function-based technique. Mean horizontal winds are estimated with the STARS and HAD techniques; the Doppler Beam Swinging (DBS method is used as a reference for evaluating the SA techniques. Reasonable agreement between SA and DBS techniques is found at heights from 5km to approximately 11km, where signal-to-noise ratio was rather high. The STARS and HAD produced variances of vertical turbulent velocity are found to be in fair agreement. They are affected by beam-broadening in a different way than the DBS-produced spectral width, and to a much lesser degree. Variances of horizontal turbulent velocity components and horizontal momentum flux are estimated with the STARS method, and strong anisotropy of turbulence is found. These characteristics cannot be estimated with correlation-function-based SA methods, which could make UCAR-STARS a useful alternative to traditional SA techniques.

Wind Speed Preview Measurement and Estimation for Feedforward Control of Wind Turbines

Science.gov (United States)

Simley, Eric J.

Wind turbines typically rely on feedback controllers to maximize power capture in below-rated conditions and regulate rotor speed during above-rated operation. However, measurements of the approaching wind provided by Light Detection and Ranging (lidar) can be used as part of a preview-based, or feedforward, control system in order to improve rotor speed regulation and reduce structural loads. But the effectiveness of preview-based control depends on how accurately lidar can measure the wind that will interact with the turbine. In this thesis, lidar measurement error is determined using a statistical frequency-domain wind field model including wind evolution, or the change in turbulent wind speeds between the time they are measured and when they reach the turbine. Parameters of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) 5-MW reference turbine model are used to determine measurement error for a hub-mounted circularly-scanning lidar scenario, based on commercially-available technology, designed to estimate rotor effective uniform and shear wind speed components. By combining the wind field model, lidar model, and turbine parameters, the optimal lidar scan radius and preview distance that yield the minimum mean square measurement error, as well as the resulting minimum achievable error, are found for a variety of wind conditions. With optimized scan scenarios, it is found that relatively low measurement error can be achieved, but the attainable measurement error largely depends on the wind conditions. In addition, the impact of the induction zone, the region upstream of the turbine where the approaching wind speeds are reduced, as well as turbine yaw error on measurement quality is analyzed. In order to minimize the mean square measurement error, an optimal measurement prefilter is employed, which depends on statistics of the correlation between the preview measurements and the wind that interacts with the turbine. However, because the wind speeds encountered by

Probabilistic multiobjective wind-thermal economic emission dispatch based on point estimated method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Azizipanah-Abarghooee, Rasoul; Niknam, Taher; Roosta, Alireza; Malekpour, Ahmad Reza; Zare, Mohsen

2012-01-01

In this paper, wind power generators are being incorporated in the multiobjective economic emission dispatch problem which minimizes wind-thermal electrical energy cost and emissions produced by fossil-fueled power plants, simultaneously. Large integration of wind energy sources necessitates an efficient model to cope with uncertainty arising from random wind variation. Hence, a multiobjective stochastic search algorithm based on 2m point estimated method is implemented to analyze the probabilistic wind-thermal economic emission dispatch problem considering both overestimation and underestimation of available wind power. 2m point estimated method handles the system uncertainties and renders the probability density function of desired variables efficiently. Moreover, a new population-based optimization algorithm called modified teaching-learning algorithm is proposed to determine the set of non-dominated optimal solutions. During the simulation, the set of non-dominated solutions are kept in an external memory (repository). Also, a fuzzy-based clustering technique is implemented to control the size of the repository. In order to select the best compromise solution from the repository, a niching mechanism is utilized such that the population will move toward a smaller search space in the Pareto-optimal front. In order to show the efficiency and feasibility of the proposed framework, three different test systems are represented as case studies. -- Highlights: ► WPGs are being incorporated in the multiobjective economic emission dispatch problem. ► 2m PEM handles the system uncertainties. ► A MTLBO is proposed to determine the set of non-dominated (Pareto) optimal solutions. ► A fuzzy-based clustering technique is implemented to control the size of the repository.

Estimating the Wind Resource in Uttarakhand: Comparison of Dynamic Downscaling with Doppler Lidar Wind Measurements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lundquist, J. K. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Pukayastha, A. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Martin, C. [Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States); Newsom, R. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

2014-03-01

Previous estimates of the wind resources in Uttarakhand, India, suggest minimal wind resources in this region. To explore whether or not the complex terrain in fact provides localized regions of wind resource, the authors of this study employed a dynamic down scaling method with the Weather Research and Forecasting model, providing detailed estimates of winds at approximately 1 km resolution in the finest nested simulation.

Modeling and Parameter Estimation of a Small Wind Generation System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos A. Ramírez Gómez

2013-11-01

Full Text Available The modeling and parameter estimation of a small wind generation system is presented in this paper. The system consists of a wind turbine, a permanent magnet synchronous generator, a three phase rectifier, and a direct current load. In order to estimate the parameters wind speed data are registered in a weather station located in the Fraternidad Campus at ITM. Wind speed data were applied to a reference model programed with PSIM software. From that simulation, variables were registered to estimate the parameters. The wind generation system model together with the estimated parameters is an excellent representation of the detailed model, but the estimated model offers a higher flexibility than the programed model in PSIM software.

Comparative study of speed estimators with highly noisy measurement signals for Wind Energy Generation Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carranza, O. [Escuela Superior de Computo, Instituto Politecnico Nacional, Av. Juan de Dios Batiz S/N, Col. Lindavista, Del. Gustavo A. Madero 7738, D.F. (Mexico); Figueres, E.; Garcera, G. [Grupo de Sistemas Electronicos Industriales, Departamento de Ingenieria Electronica, Universidad Politecnica de Valencia, Camino de Vera S/N, 7F, 46020 Valencia (Spain); Gonzalez, L.G. [Departamento de Ingenieria Electronica, Universidad de los Andes, Merida (Venezuela)

2011-03-15

This paper presents a comparative study of several speed estimators to implement a sensorless speed control loop in Wind Energy Generation Systems driven by power factor correction three-phase boost rectifiers. This rectifier topology reduces the low frequency harmonics contents of the generator currents and, consequently, the generator power factor approaches unity whereas undesired vibrations of the mechanical system decrease. For implementation of the speed estimators, the compared techniques start from the measurement of electrical variables like currents and voltages, which contain low frequency harmonics of the fundamental frequency of the wind generator, as well as switching frequency components due to the boost rectifier. In this noisy environment it has been analyzed the performance of the following estimation techniques: Synchronous Reference Frame Phase Locked Loop, speed reconstruction by measuring the dc current and voltage of the rectifier and speed estimation by means of both an Extended Kalman Filter and a Linear Kalman Filter. (author)

Wind turbine power coefficient estimation by soft computing methodologies: Comparative study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shamshirband, Shahaboddin; Petković, Dalibor; Saboohi, Hadi; Anuar, Nor Badrul; Inayat, Irum; Akib, Shatirah; Ćojbašić, Žarko; Nikolić, Vlastimir; Mat Kiah, Miss Laiha; Gani, Abdullah

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Variable speed operation of wind turbine to increase power generation. • Changeability and fluctuation of wind has to be accounted. • To build an effective prediction model of wind turbine power coefficient. • The impact of the variation in the blade pitch angle and tip speed ratio. • Support vector regression methodology application as predictive methodology. - Abstract: Wind energy has become a large contender of traditional fossil fuel energy, particularly with the successful operation of multi-megawatt sized wind turbines. However, reasonable wind speed is not adequately sustainable everywhere to build an economical wind farm. In wind energy conversion systems, one of the operational problems is the changeability and fluctuation of wind. In most cases, wind speed can vacillate rapidly. Hence, quality of produced energy becomes an important problem in wind energy conversion plants. Several control techniques have been applied to improve the quality of power generated from wind turbines. In this study, the polynomial and radial basis function (RBF) are applied as the kernel function of support vector regression (SVR) to estimate optimal power coefficient value of the wind turbines. Instead of minimizing the observed training error, SVR p oly and SVR r bf attempt to minimize the generalization error bound so as to achieve generalized performance. The experimental results show that an improvement in predictive accuracy and capability of generalization can be achieved by the SVR approach in compare to other soft computing methodologies

Active load control techniques for wind turbines.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

van Dam, C.P. (University of California, Davis, CA); Berg, Dale E.; Johnson, Scott J. (University of California, Davis, CA)

2008-07-01

This report provides an overview on the current state of wind turbine control and introduces a number of active techniques that could be potentially used for control of wind turbine blades. The focus is on research regarding active flow control (AFC) as it applies to wind turbine performance and loads. The techniques and concepts described here are often described as 'smart structures' or 'smart rotor control'. This field is rapidly growing and there are numerous concepts currently being investigated around the world; some concepts already are focused on the wind energy industry and others are intended for use in other fields, but have the potential for wind turbine control. An AFC system can be broken into three categories: controls and sensors, actuators and devices, and the flow phenomena. This report focuses on the research involved with the actuators and devices and the generated flow phenomena caused by each device.

Pressure integration technique for predicting wind-induced response in high-rise buildings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aly Mousaad Aly

2013-12-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a procedure for response prediction in high-rise buildings under wind loads. The procedure is illustrated in an application example of a tall building exposed to both cross-wind and along-wind loads. The responses of the building in the lateral directions combined with torsion are estimated simultaneously. Results show good agreement with recent design standards; however, the proposed procedure has the advantages of accounting for complex mode shapes, non-uniform mass distribution, and interference effects from the surrounding. In addition, the technique allows for the contribution of higher modes. For accurate estimation of the acceleration response, it is important to consider not only the first two lateral vibrational modes, but also higher modes. Ignoring the contribution of higher modes may lead to underestimation of the acceleration response; on the other hand, it could result in overestimation of the displacement response. Furthermore, the procedure presented in this study can help decision makers, involved in a tall building design/retrofit to choose among innovative solutions like aerodynamic mitigation, structural member size adjustment, damping enhancement, and/or materials change, with an objective to improve the resiliency and the serviceability under extreme wind actions.

Estimating random transverse velocities in the fast solar wind from EISCAT Interplanetary Scintillation measurements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Canals

2002-09-01

Full Text Available Interplanetary scintillation measurements can yield estimates of a large number of solar wind parameters, including bulk flow speed, variation in bulk velocity along the observing path through the solar wind and random variation in transverse velocity. This last parameter is of particular interest, as it can indicate the flux of low-frequency Alfvén waves, and the dissipation of these waves has been proposed as an acceleration mechanism for the fast solar wind. Analysis of IPS data is, however, a significantly unresolved problem and a variety of a priori assumptions must be made in interpreting the data. Furthermore, the results may be affected by the physical structure of the radio source and by variations in the solar wind along the scintillation ray path. We have used observations of simple point-like radio sources made with EISCAT between 1994 and 1998 to obtain estimates of random transverse velocity in the fast solar wind. The results obtained with various a priori assumptions made in the analysis are compared, and we hope thereby to be able to provide some indication of the reliability of our estimates of random transverse velocity and the variation of this parameter with distance from the Sun.Key words. Interplanetary physics (MHD waves and turbulence; solar wind plasma; instruments and techniques

Estimating random transverse velocities in the fast solar wind from EISCAT Interplanetary Scintillation measurements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Canals

Full Text Available Interplanetary scintillation measurements can yield estimates of a large number of solar wind parameters, including bulk flow speed, variation in bulk velocity along the observing path through the solar wind and random variation in transverse velocity. This last parameter is of particular interest, as it can indicate the flux of low-frequency Alfvén waves, and the dissipation of these waves has been proposed as an acceleration mechanism for the fast solar wind. Analysis of IPS data is, however, a significantly unresolved problem and a variety of a priori assumptions must be made in interpreting the data. Furthermore, the results may be affected by the physical structure of the radio source and by variations in the solar wind along the scintillation ray path. We have used observations of simple point-like radio sources made with EISCAT between 1994 and 1998 to obtain estimates of random transverse velocity in the fast solar wind. The results obtained with various a priori assumptions made in the analysis are compared, and we hope thereby to be able to provide some indication of the reliability of our estimates of random transverse velocity and the variation of this parameter with distance from the Sun.

Key words. Interplanetary physics (MHD waves and turbulence; solar wind plasma; instruments and techniques

Prototype bucket foundation for wind turbines - natural frequency estimation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ibsen, Lars Bo; Liingaard, M.

2006-12-15

The first full scale prototype bucket foundation for wind turbines has been installed in October 2002 at Aalborg University offshore test facility in Frederikshavn, Denmark. The suction caisson and the wind turbine have been equipped with an online monitoring system, consisting of 15 accelerometers and a real-time data-acquisition system. The report concerns the in service performance of the wind turbine, with focus on estimation of the natural frequencies of the structure/foundation. The natural frequencies are initially estimated by means of experimental Output-only Modal analysis. The experimental estimates are then compared with numerical simulations of the suction caisson foundation and the wind turbine. The numerical model consists of a finite element section for the wind turbine tower and nacelle. The soil-structure interaction of the soil-foundation section is modelled by lumped-parameter models capable of simulating dynamic frequency dependent behaviour of the structure-foundation system. (au)

Shear and Turbulence Estimates for Calculation of Wind Turbine Loads and Responses Under Hurricane Strength Winds

Science.gov (United States)

Kosovic, B.; Bryan, G. H.; Haupt, S. E.

2012-12-01

Schwartz et al. (2010) recently reported that the total gross energy-generating offshore wind resource in the United States in waters less than 30m deep is approximately 1000 GW. Estimated offshore generating capacity is thus equivalent to the current generating capacity in the United States. Offshore wind power can therefore play important role in electricity production in the United States. However, most of this resource is located along the East Coast of the United States and in the Gulf of Mexico, areas frequently affected by tropical cyclones including hurricanes. Hurricane strength winds, associated shear and turbulence can affect performance and structural integrity of wind turbines. In a recent study Rose et al. (2012) attempted to estimate the risk to offshore wind turbines from hurricane strength winds over a lifetime of a wind farm (i.e. 20 years). According to Rose et al. turbine tower buckling has been observed in typhoons. They concluded that there is "substantial risk that Category 3 and higher hurricanes can destroy half or more of the turbines at some locations." More robust designs including appropriate controls can mitigate the risk of wind turbine damage. To develop such designs good estimates of turbine loads under hurricane strength winds are essential. We use output from a large-eddy simulation of a hurricane to estimate shear and turbulence intensity over first couple of hundred meters above sea surface. We compute power spectra of three velocity components at several distances from the eye of the hurricane. Based on these spectra analytical spectral forms are developed and included in TurbSim, a stochastic inflow turbulence code developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL, http://wind.nrel.gov/designcodes/preprocessors/turbsim/). TurbSim provides a numerical simulation including bursts of coherent turbulence associated with organized turbulent structures. It can generate realistic flow conditions that an operating turbine

Estimation of wind and solar resources in Mali

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Badger, J.; Kamissoko, F.; Olander Rasmussen, M.; Larsen, Soeren; Guidon, N.; Boye Hansen, L.; Dewilde, L.; Alhousseini, M.; Noergaard, P.; Nygaard, I.

2012-11-15

The wind resource has been estimated for all of Mali at 7.5 km resolution using the KAMM/WAsP numerical wind atlas methodology. Three domains were used to cover entire country and three sets of wind classes used to capture change in large scale forcing over country. The final output includes generalized climate statistics for any location in Mali, giving wind direction and wind speed distribution. The modelled generalized climate statistics can be used directly in the WAsP software. The preliminary results show a wind resource, which is relatively low, but which under certain conditions may be economically feasible, i.e. at favourably exposed sites, giving enhanced winds, and where practical utilization is possible, given consideration to grid connection or replacement or augmentation of diesel-based electricity systems. The solar energy resource for Mali was assessed for the period between July 2008 and June 2011 using a remote sensing based estimate of the down-welling surface shortwave flux. The remote sensing estimates were adjusted on a month-by-month basis to account for seasonal differences between the remote sensing estimates and in situ data. Calibration was found to improve the coefficient of determination as well as decreasing the mean error both for the calibration and validation data. Compared to the results presented in the ''Renewable energy resources in Mali - preliminary mapping''-report that showed a tendency for underestimation compared to data from the NASA PPOWER/SSE database, the presented results show a very good agreement with the in situ data (after calibration) with no significant bias. Unfortunately, the NASA-database only contains data up until 2005, so a similar comparison could not be done for the time period analyzed in this study, although the agreement with the historic NASA data is still useful as reference. (LN)

Estimation of the uncertainty in wind power forecasting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pinson, P.

2006-03-01

WIND POWER experiences a tremendous development of its installed capacities in Europe. Though, the intermittence of wind generation causes difficulties in the management of power systems. Also, in the context of the deregulation of electricity markets, wind energy is penalized by its intermittent nature. It is recognized today that the forecasting of wind power for horizons up to 2/3-day ahead eases the integration of wind generation. Wind power forecasts are traditionally provided in the form of point predictions, which correspond to the most-likely power production for a given horizon. That sole information is not sufficient for developing optimal management or trading strategies. Therefore, we investigate on possible ways for estimating the uncertainty of wind power forecasts. The characteristics of the prediction uncertainty are described by a thorough study of the performance of some of the state-of-the-art approaches, and by underlining the influence of some variables e.g. level of predicted power on distributions of prediction errors. Then, a generic method for the estimation of prediction intervals is introduced. This statistical method is non-parametric and utilizes fuzzy logic concepts for integrating expertise on the prediction uncertainty characteristics. By estimating several prediction intervals at once, one obtains predictive distributions of wind power output. The proposed method is evaluated in terms of its reliability, sharpness and resolution. In parallel, we explore the potential use of ensemble predictions for skill forecasting. Wind power ensemble forecasts are obtained either by converting meteorological ensembles (from ECMWF and NCEP) to power or by applying a poor man's temporal approach. A proposal for the definition of prediction risk indices is given, reflecting the disagreement between ensemble members over a set of successive look-ahead times. Such prediction risk indices may comprise a more comprehensive signal on the expected level

Wind effect on PV module temperature: Analysis of different techniques for an accurate estimation.

Science.gov (United States)

Schwingshackl, Clemens; Petitta, Marcello; Ernst Wagner, Jochen; Belluardo, Giorgio; Moser, David; Castelli, Mariapina; Zebisch, Marc; Tetzlaff, Anke

2013-04-01

In this abstract a study on the influence of wind to model the PV module temperature is presented. This study is carried out in the framework of the PV-Alps INTERREG project in which the potential of different photovoltaic technologies is analysed for alpine regions. The PV module temperature depends on different parameters, such as ambient temperature, irradiance, wind speed and PV technology [1]. In most models, a very simple approach is used, where the PV module temperature is calculated from NOCT (nominal operating cell temperature), ambient temperature and irradiance alone [2]. In this study the influence of wind speed on the PV module temperature was investigated. First, different approaches suggested by various authors were tested [1], [2], [3], [4], [5]. For our analysis, temperature, irradiance and wind data from a PV test facility at the airport Bolzano (South Tyrol, Italy) from the EURAC Institute of Renewable Energies were used. The PV module temperature was calculated with different models and compared to the measured PV module temperature at the single panels. The best results were achieved with the approach suggested by Skoplaki et al. [1]. Preliminary results indicate that for all PV technologies which were tested (monocrystalline, amorphous, microcrystalline and polycrystalline silicon and cadmium telluride), modelled and measured PV module temperatures show a higher agreement (RMSE about 3-4 K) compared to standard approaches in which wind is not considered. For further investigation the in-situ measured wind velocities were replaced with wind data from numerical weather forecast models (ECMWF, reanalysis fields). Our results show that the PV module temperature calculated with wind data from ECMWF is still in very good agreement with the measured one (R² > 0.9 for all technologies). Compared to the previous analysis, we find comparable mean values and an increasing standard deviation. These results open a promising approach for PV module

Hierarchical parameter estimation of DFIG and drive train system in a wind turbine generator

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Xueping PAN; Ping JU; Feng WU; Yuqing JIN

2017-01-01

A new hierarchical parameter estimation method for doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) and drive train system in a wind turbine generator (WTG) is proposed in this paper.Firstly,the parameters of the DFIG and the drive train are estimated locally under different types of disturbances.Secondly,a coordination estimation method is further applied to identify the parameters of the DFIG and the drive train simultaneously with the purpose of attaining the global optimal estimation results.The main benefit of the proposed scheme is the improved estimation accuracy.Estimation results confirm the applicability of the proposed estimation technique.

Reassessing Wind Potential Estimates for India: Economic and Policy Implications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Phadke, Amol; Bharvirkar, Ranjit; Khangura, Jagmeet

2011-09-15

We assess developable on-shore wind potential in India at three different hub-heights and under two sensitivity scenarios – one with no farmland included, the other with all farmland included. Under the “no farmland included” case, the total wind potential in India ranges from 748 GW at 80m hub-height to 976 GW at 120m hub-height. Under the “all farmland included” case, the potential with a minimum capacity factor of 20 percent ranges from 984 GW to 1,549 GW. High quality wind energy sites, at 80m hub-height with a minimum capacity factor of 25 percent, have a potential between 253 GW (no farmland included) and 306 GW (all farmland included). Our estimates are more than 15 times the current official estimate of wind energy potential in India (estimated at 50m hub height) and are about one tenth of the official estimate of the wind energy potential in the US.

Estimation of the Possible Power of a Wind Farm

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mirzaei, Mahmood; Göçmen Bozkurt, Tuhfe; Giebel, Gregor

2014-01-01

the possible power calculated based on the estimated effective wind speed of a down regulated wind farm (the industry standard) is compared against the calculated possible power based on the algorithm presented in the paper. The latter takes into account the eect of the wakes of down regulated turbines......It seems possible to increase competitiveness of wind power plants by offering grid services (also called ancillary services) and enter the wind power plants into the ancillary market. One of the ancillary services is called reserve power, the differential capacity between the generated power...... and the available power in the farm. The total amount of energy that a wind farm can potentially generate is called possible power. It is very important for a wind farm owner to have a relatively accurate estimate of the possible power of the wind farm in order to be able to trade the reserve power. In this paper...

Fatigue-Damage Estimation and Control for Wind Turbines

OpenAIRE

Barradas Berglind, Jose de Jesus

2015-01-01

How can fatigue-damage for control of wind turbines be represented? Fatigue-damage is indeed a crucial factor in structures such as wind turbines that are exposed to turbulent and rapidly changing wind flow conditions. This is relevant both in their design stage and during the control of their operation. Accordingly, the most recognized methods of fatigue-damage estimation are discussed in this thesis.In wind energy conversion systems there is an intrinsic trade-off between power generation m...

Estimation of the high-spatial-resolution variability in extreme wind speeds for forestry applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Venäläinen

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The bioeconomy has an increasing role to play in climate change mitigation and the sustainable development of national economies. In Finland, a forested country, over 50 % of the current bioeconomy relies on the sustainable management and utilization of forest resources. Wind storms are a major risk that forests are exposed to and high-spatial-resolution analysis of the most vulnerable locations can produce risk assessment of forest management planning. In this paper, we examine the feasibility of the wind multiplier approach for downscaling of maximum wind speed, using 20 m spatial resolution CORINE land-use dataset and high-resolution digital elevation data. A coarse spatial resolution estimate of the 10-year return level of maximum wind speed was obtained from the ERA-Interim reanalyzed data. Using a geospatial re-mapping technique the data were downscaled to 26 meteorological station locations to represent very diverse environments. Applying a comparison, we find that the downscaled 10-year return levels represent 66 % of the observed variation among the stations examined. In addition, the spatial variation in wind-multiplier-downscaled 10-year return level wind was compared with the WAsP model-simulated wind. The heterogeneous test area was situated in northern Finland, and it was found that the major features of the spatial variation were similar, but in some locations, there were relatively large differences. The results indicate that the wind multiplier method offers a pragmatic and computationally feasible tool for identifying at a high spatial resolution those locations with the highest forest wind damage risks. It can also be used to provide the necessary wind climate information for wind damage risk model calculations, thus making it possible to estimate the probability of predicted threshold wind speeds for wind damage and consequently the probability (and amount of wind damage for certain forest stand configurations.

Estimation of wind stress using dual-frequency TOPEX data

Science.gov (United States)

Elfouhaily, Tanos; Vandemark, Douglas; Gourrion, Jéro‸me; Chapron, Bertrand

1998-10-01

The TOPEX/POSEIDON satellite carries the first dual-frequency radar altimeter. Monofrequency (Ku-band) algorithms are presently used to retrieve surface wind speed from the altimeter's radar cross-section measurement (σ0Ku). These algorithms work reasonably well, but it is also known that altimeter wind estimates can be contaminated by residual effects, such as sea state, embedded in the σ0Ku measurement. Investigating the potential benefit of using two frequencies for wind retrieval, it is shown that a simple evaluation of TOPEX data yields previously unavailable information, particularly for high and low wind speeds. As the wind speed increases, the dual-frequency data provides a measurement more directly linked to the short-scale surface roughness, which in turn is associated with the local surface wind stress. Using a global TOPEX σ0° data set and TOPEX's significant wave height (Hs) estimate as a surrogate for the sea state's degree of development, it is also shown that differences between the two TOPEX σ0 measurements strongly evidence nonlocal sea state signature. A composite scattering theory is used to show how the dual-frequency data can provide an improved friction velocity model, especially for winds above 7 m/s. A wind speed conversion is included using a sea state dependent drag coefficient fed with TOPEX Hs data. Two colocated TOPEX-buoy data sets (from the National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) and the Structure des Echanges Mer-Atmosphre, Proprietes des Heterogeneites Oceaniques: Recherche Expérimentale (SEMAPHORE) campaign) are employed to test the new wind speed algorithm. A measurable improvement in wind speed estimation is obtained when compared to the monofrequency Witter and Chelton [1991] model.

On-Line Flutter Prediction Tool for Wind Tunnel Flutter Testing using Parameter Varying Estimation Methodology, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — ZONA Technology, Inc. (ZONA) proposes to develop an on-line flutter prediction tool for wind tunnel model using the parameter varying estimation (PVE) technique to...

Fatigue-Damage Estimation and Control for Wind Turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Barradas Berglind, Jose de Jesus

How can fatigue-damage for control of wind turbines be represented? Fatigue-damage is indeed a crucial factor in structures such as wind turbines that are exposed to turbulent and rapidly changing wind flow conditions. This is relevant both in their design stage and during the control......, the inclusion of fatigue-damage within feedback control loops is of special interest. Four strategies in total are proposed in this work: three for the wind turbine level and one for the wind farm level. On one hand, the three strategies in the turbine level are based on hysteresis operators and strive......-damage estimation in wind turbine components, to the mixed objective operation of wind energy conversion systems, and to the synthesis of control strategies that include hysteresis operators....

Prescribed wind shear modelling with the actuator line technique

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mikkelsen, Robert Flemming; Sørensen, Jens Nørkær; Troldborg, Niels

2007-01-01

A method for prescribing arbitrary steady atmospheric wind shear profiles combined with CFD is presented. The method is furthermore combined with the actuator line technique governing the aerodynamic loads on a wind turbine. Computation are carried out on a wind turbine exposed to a representative...

Wind Loads on Ships and Offshore Structures Estimated by CFD

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aage, Christian; Hvid, S.L.; Hughes, P.H.

1997-01-01

Wind loads on ships and offshore structures could until recently be determined only by model tests, or by statistical methods based on model tests. By the development of Computational Fluid Dynamics or CFD there is now a realistic computational alternative available. In this paper, wind loads...... on a seagoing ferry and on a semisubmersible offshore platform have been estimated by CFD. The results have been compared with wind tunnel model tests and, for the ferry, a few full-scale measurements, and good agreement is obtained. The CFD method offers the possibility of a computational estimate of scale...... effects related to wind tunnel model testing. An example of such an estimate on the ferry is discussed. Due to the time involved in generating the computational mesh and in computing the solution, the CFD method is not at the moment economically competitive to routine wind tunnel model testing....

Estimation of turbulence intensity using rotor effective wind speed in Lillgrund and Horns Rev-I offshore wind farms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gögmen, Tuhfe; Giebel, Gregor

2016-01-01

varies over the extent of the wind farm. This paper describes a method to estimate the TI at individual turbine locations by using the rotor effective wind speed calculated via high frequency turbine data. The method is applied to Lillgrund and Horns Rev-I offshore wind farms and the results are compared...... with TI derived from the meteorological mast, nacelle mounted anemometer on the turbines and estimation based on the standard deviation of power. The results show that the proposed TI estimation method is in the best agreement with the meteorological mast. Therefore, the rotor effective wind speed...... is shown to be applicable for the TI assessment in real-time wind farm calculations under different operational conditions. Furthermore, the TI in the wake is seen to follow the same trend with the estimated wake deficit which enables to quantify the turbulence in terms of the wake loss locally inside...

Empirical investigation on using wind speed volatility to estimate the operation probability and power output of wind turbines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Heping; Shi, Jing; Qu, Xiuli

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Ten-minute wind speed and power generation data of an offshore wind turbine are used. ► An ARMA–GARCH-M model is built to simultaneously forecast wind speed mean and volatility. ► The operation probability and expected power output of the wind turbine are predicted. ► The integrated approach produces more accurate wind power forecasting than other conventional methods. - Abstract: In this paper, we introduce a quantitative methodology that performs the interval estimation of wind speed, calculates the operation probability of wind turbine, and forecasts the wind power output. The technological advantage of this methodology stems from the empowered capability of mean and volatility forecasting of wind speed. Based on the real wind speed and corresponding wind power output data from an offshore wind turbine, this methodology is applied to build an ARMA–GARCH-M model for wind speed forecasting, and then to compute the operation probability and the expected power output of the wind turbine. The results show that the developed methodology is effective, the obtained interval estimation of wind speed is reliable, and the forecasted operation probability and expected wind power output of the wind turbine are accurate

Assessment of Wind Datasets for Estimating Offshore Wind Energy along the Central California Coast

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Y. H.; Walter, R. K.; Ruttenberg, B.; White, C.

2017-12-01

Offshore renewable energy along the central California coastline has gained significant interest in recent years. We present a comprehensive analysis of near-surface wind datasets available in this region to facilitate future estimates of wind power generation potential. The analyses are based on local NDBC buoys, satellite-based measurements (QuickSCAT and CCMP V2.0), reanalysis products (NARR and MERRA), and a regional climate model (WRF). There are substantial differences in the diurnal signal during different months among the various products (i.e., satellite-based, reanalysis, and modeled) relative to the local buoys. Moreover, the datasets tended to underestimate wind speed under light wind conditions and overestimate under strong wind conditions. In addition to point-to-point comparisons against local buoys, the spatial variations of bias and error in both the reanalysis products and WRF model data in this region were compared against satellite-based measurements. NARR's bias and root-mean-square-error were generally small in the study domain and decreased with distance from coastlines. Although its smaller spatial resolution is likely to be insufficient to reveal local effects, the small bias and error in near-surface winds, as well as the availability of wind data at the proposed turbine hub heights, suggests that NARR is an ideal candidate for use in offshore wind energy production estimates along the central California coast. The framework utilized here could be applied in other site-specific regions where offshore renewable energy is being considered.

Wind Plant Preconstruction Energy Estimates. Current Practice and Opportunities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Clifton, Andrew [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Smith, Aaron [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Fields, Michael [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2016-04-19

Understanding the amount of energy that will be harvested by a wind power plant each year and the variability of that energy is essential to assessing and potentially improving the financial viability of that power plant. The preconstruction energy estimate process predicts the amount of energy--with uncertainty estimates--that a wind power plant will deliver to the point of revenue. This report describes the preconstruction energy estimate process from a technical perspective and seeks to provide insight into the financial implications associated with each step.

Simulation of wind turbine wakes using the actuator line technique

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Jens Nørkær; Mikkelsen, Robert Flemming; Henningson, Dan S.

2015-01-01

The actuator line technique was introduced as a numerical tool to be employed in combination with large eddy simulations to enable the study of wakes and wake interaction in wind farms. The technique is today largely used for studying basic features of wakes as well as for making performance...... predictions of wind farms. In this paper, we give a short introduction to the wake problem and the actuator line methodology and present a study in which the technique is employed to determine the near-wake properties of wind turbines. The presented results include a comparison of experimental results...

Simulation of wind turbine wakes using the actuator line technique.

Science.gov (United States)

Sørensen, Jens N; Mikkelsen, Robert F; Henningson, Dan S; Ivanell, Stefan; Sarmast, Sasan; Andersen, Søren J

2015-02-28

The actuator line technique was introduced as a numerical tool to be employed in combination with large eddy simulations to enable the study of wakes and wake interaction in wind farms. The technique is today largely used for studying basic features of wakes as well as for making performance predictions of wind farms. In this paper, we give a short introduction to the wake problem and the actuator line methodology and present a study in which the technique is employed to determine the near-wake properties of wind turbines. The presented results include a comparison of experimental results of the wake characteristics of the flow around a three-bladed model wind turbine, the development of a simple analytical formula for determining the near-wake length behind a wind turbine and a detailed investigation of wake structures based on proper orthogonal decomposition analysis of numerically generated snapshots of the wake. © 2015 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

Novel screening techniques for wind turbine power converters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Asger Bjørn; Sønderskov, Simon Dyhr; Christensen, Nicklas

2016-01-01

Power converters represent one of the highest failure rates in the wind turbine. Therefore converter manufacturers perform burn-in tests to prevent shipping of faulty converters. Recent developments in junction temperature estimation, based on accurate online IGBT collector-emitter voltage...... measurements, allow for thermal stress estimation of the IGBT modules. This is utilized to detect infant mortalities in power converters, by comparing thermal responses of IGBTs for faulty and non-faulty converters. The method proves to be a time and cost efficient candidate to replace burn-in tests of power...... converters for wind turbines applications....

Fatigue Damage Estimation and Data-based Control for Wind Turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Barradas Berglind, Jose de Jesus; Wisniewski, Rafal; Soltani, Mohsen

2015-01-01

based on hysteresis operators, which can be used in control loops. The authors propose a data-based model predictive control (MPC) strategy that incorporates an online fatigue estimation method through the objective function, where the ultimate goal in mind is to reduce the fatigue damage of the wind......The focus of this work is on fatigue estimation and data-based controller design for wind turbines. The main purpose is to include a model of the fatigue damage of the wind turbine components in the controller design and synthesis process. This study addresses an online fatigue estimation method...... turbine components. The outcome is an adaptive or self-tuning MPC strategy for wind turbine fatigue damage reduction, which relies on parameter identification on previous measurement data. The results of the proposed strategy are compared with a baseline model predictive controller....

Application of microwave radiometer and wind profiler data in the estimation of wind gust associated with intense convective weather

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chan, P W; Wong, K H

2008-01-01

Estimates of the wind gusts associated with intense convective weather could be obtained using empirical relationships such as GUSTEX based on radiosonde measurements. However, such data are only available a couple of times a day and may not reflect the rapidly changing atmospheric condition in spring and summer times. The feasibility of combining the thermodynamic profiles from a ground-based microwave radiometer and wind profiles given by radar wind profilers in the continuous estimation of wind gusts is studied in this paper. Based on the results of a 4-month trial of a microwave radiometer in Hong Kong in 2004, the estimated and the actual gusts are reasonably well correlated. It is also found that the wind gusts so estimated provide better indications of the strength of squalls compared with those based on radiosonde measurements and with a lead time of about one hour

Potential of neuro-fuzzy methodology to estimate noise level of wind turbines

Science.gov (United States)

Nikolić, Vlastimir; Petković, Dalibor; Por, Lip Yee; Shamshirband, Shahaboddin; Zamani, Mazdak; Ćojbašić, Žarko; Motamedi, Shervin

2016-01-01

Wind turbines noise effect became large problem because of increasing of wind farms numbers since renewable energy becomes the most influential energy sources. However, wind turbine noise generation and propagation is not understandable in all aspects. Mechanical noise of wind turbines can be ignored since aerodynamic noise of wind turbine blades is the main source of the noise generation. Numerical simulations of the noise effects of the wind turbine can be very challenging task. Therefore in this article soft computing method is used to evaluate noise level of wind turbines. The main goal of the study is to estimate wind turbine noise in regard of wind speed at different heights and for different sound frequency. Adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) is used to estimate the wind turbine noise levels.

Reliability Estimation of Parameters of Helical Wind Turbine with Vertical Axis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adela-Eliza Dumitrascu

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Due to the prolonged use of wind turbines they must be characterized by high reliability. This can be achieved through a rigorous design, appropriate simulation and testing, and proper construction. The reliability prediction and analysis of these systems will lead to identifying the critical components, increasing the operating time, minimizing failure rate, and minimizing maintenance costs. To estimate the produced energy by the wind turbine, an evaluation approach based on the Monte Carlo simulation model is developed which enables us to estimate the probability of minimum and maximum parameters. In our simulation process we used triangular distributions. The analysis of simulation results has been focused on the interpretation of the relative frequency histograms and cumulative distribution curve (ogive diagram, which indicates the probability of obtaining the daily or annual energy output depending on wind speed. The experimental researches consist in estimation of the reliability and unreliability functions and hazard rate of the helical vertical axis wind turbine designed and patented to climatic conditions for Romanian regions. Also, the variation of power produced for different wind speeds, the Weibull distribution of wind probability, and the power generated were determined. The analysis of experimental results indicates that this type of wind turbine is efficient at low wind speed.

Reliability Estimation of Parameters of Helical Wind Turbine with Vertical Axis.

Science.gov (United States)

Dumitrascu, Adela-Eliza; Lepadatescu, Badea; Dumitrascu, Dorin-Ion; Nedelcu, Anisor; Ciobanu, Doina Valentina

2015-01-01

Due to the prolonged use of wind turbines they must be characterized by high reliability. This can be achieved through a rigorous design, appropriate simulation and testing, and proper construction. The reliability prediction and analysis of these systems will lead to identifying the critical components, increasing the operating time, minimizing failure rate, and minimizing maintenance costs. To estimate the produced energy by the wind turbine, an evaluation approach based on the Monte Carlo simulation model is developed which enables us to estimate the probability of minimum and maximum parameters. In our simulation process we used triangular distributions. The analysis of simulation results has been focused on the interpretation of the relative frequency histograms and cumulative distribution curve (ogive diagram), which indicates the probability of obtaining the daily or annual energy output depending on wind speed. The experimental researches consist in estimation of the reliability and unreliability functions and hazard rate of the helical vertical axis wind turbine designed and patented to climatic conditions for Romanian regions. Also, the variation of power produced for different wind speeds, the Weibull distribution of wind probability, and the power generated were determined. The analysis of experimental results indicates that this type of wind turbine is efficient at low wind speed.

Wind gust estimation by combining numerical weather prediction model and statistical post-processing

Science.gov (United States)

Patlakas, Platon; Drakaki, Eleni; Galanis, George; Spyrou, Christos; Kallos, George

2017-04-01

The continuous rise of off-shore and near-shore activities as well as the development of structures, such as wind farms and various offshore platforms, requires the employment of state-of-the-art risk assessment techniques. Such analysis is used to set the safety standards and can be characterized as a climatologically oriented approach. Nevertheless, a reliable operational support is also needed in order to minimize cost drawbacks and human danger during the construction and the functioning stage as well as during maintenance activities. One of the most important parameters for this kind of analysis is the wind speed intensity and variability. A critical measure associated with this variability is the presence and magnitude of wind gusts as estimated in the reference level of 10m. The latter can be attributed to different processes that vary among boundary-layer turbulence, convection activities, mountain waves and wake phenomena. The purpose of this work is the development of a wind gust forecasting methodology combining a Numerical Weather Prediction model and a dynamical statistical tool based on Kalman filtering. To this end, the parameterization of Wind Gust Estimate method was implemented to function within the framework of the atmospheric model SKIRON/Dust. The new modeling tool combines the atmospheric model with a statistical local adaptation methodology based on Kalman filters. This has been tested over the offshore west coastline of the United States. The main purpose is to provide a useful tool for wind analysis and prediction and applications related to offshore wind energy (power prediction, operation and maintenance). The results have been evaluated by using observational data from the NOAA's buoy network. As it was found, the predicted output shows a good behavior that is further improved after the local adjustment post-process.

Estimating the Probability of Wind Ramping Events: A Data-driven Approach

OpenAIRE

Wang, Cheng; Wei, Wei; Wang, Jianhui; Qiu, Feng

2016-01-01

This letter proposes a data-driven method for estimating the probability of wind ramping events without exploiting the exact probability distribution function (PDF) of wind power. Actual wind data validates the proposed method.

Wind distribution and capacity factor estimation for wind turbines in the coastal region of South Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ayodele, T.R.; Jimoh, A.A.; Munda, J.L.; Agee, J.T.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► We evaluate capacity factor of some commercially available wind turbines. ► Wind speed in the sites studied can best be modelled using Weibull distribution. ► Site WM05 has the highest wind power potential while site WM02 has the lowest. ► More wind power can be harnessed during the day period compared to the night. ► Turbine K seems to be the best turbine for the coastal region of South Africa. - Abstract: The operating curve parameters of a wind turbine should match the local wind regime optimally to ensure maximum exploitation of available energy in a mass of moving air. This paper provides estimates of the capacity factor of 20 commercially available wind turbines, based on the local wind characteristics of ten different sites located in the Western Cape region of South Africa. Ten-min average time series wind-speed data for a period of 1 year are used for the study. First, the wind distribution that best models the local wind regime of the sites is determined. This is based on root mean square error (RMSE) and coefficient of determination (R 2 ) which are used to test goodness of fit. First, annual, seasonal, diurnal and peak period-capacity factor are estimated analytically. Then, the influence of turbine power curve parameters on the capacity factor is investigated. Some of the key results show that the wind distribution of the entire site can best be modelled statistically using the Weibull distribution. Site WM05 (Napier) presents the highest capacity factor for all the turbines. This indicates that this site has the highest wind power potential of all the available sites. Site WM02 (Calvinia) has the lowest capacity factor i.e. lowest wind power potential. This paper can assist in the planning and development of large-scale wind power-generating sites in South Africa.

Lifetime estimation for the power semiconductors considering mission profiles in wind power converter

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ma, Ke; Liserre, Marco; Blaabjerg, Frede

2013-01-01

for the reliability improvement and also for cost reduction of wind power technology. Unfortunately, the existing lifetime estimation methods for the power electronic converter are not yet suitable in the wind power application, because the comprehensive mission profiles are not well specified and included......As a key component in the wind turbine system, power electronic converter and its power semiconductors suffer from adverse power loadings related to environment, and are proven to have certain failure rates. Therefore, correct lifetime estimation of wind power converter is crucial...... estimation, more detailed information for the reliability performance of wind power converter can be obtained....

Progress in the development of a video-based wind farm simulation technique

OpenAIRE

Robotham, AJ

1992-01-01

The progress in the development of a video-based wind farm simulation technique is reviewed. While improvements have been achieved in the quality of the composite picture created by combining computer generated animation sequences of wind turbines with background scenes of the wind farm site, extending the technique to include camera movements has proved troublesome.

Estimation of Extreme Response and Failure Probability of Wind Turbines under Normal Operation using Probability Density Evolution Method

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sichani, Mahdi Teimouri; Nielsen, Søren R.K.; Liu, W. F.

2013-01-01

Estimation of extreme response and failure probability of structures subjected to ultimate design loads is essential for structural design of wind turbines according to the new standard IEC61400-1. This task is focused on in the present paper in virtue of probability density evolution method (PDEM......), which underlies the schemes of random vibration analysis and structural reliability assessment. The short-term rare failure probability of 5-mega-watt wind turbines, for illustrative purposes, in case of given mean wind speeds and turbulence levels is investigated through the scheme of extreme value...... distribution instead of any other approximate schemes of fitted distribution currently used in statistical extrapolation techniques. Besides, the comparative studies against the classical fitted distributions and the standard Monte Carlo techniques are carried out. Numerical results indicate that PDEM exhibits...

Estimating the true energy value of a wind farm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bass, J.

1995-01-01

To assess the true energy yield of a wind farm taking into account real-world effects such as control losses in individual turbines, losses in the distribution network and wake and topographic effects, this report from the Energy Technology Support Unit, has developed a more appropriate methodology for making economic assessments of wind farm projects. Simulations of wind turbines are used to enable control losses to be quantified, and long term performance data from wind turbines in operational United Kingdom wind farms adds to the accuracy of assessment. A model has also been used to estimate performance of a power distribution system for a wind farm, to enable losses associated with wind turbine, wind speed and various distribution layouts to be predicted. Data on wake effects are drawn from a separate study. All these are drawn into an economic simulation model which predicts a wind farm's likely achievement of its target energy yield, thus demonstrating the risk factors involved. (UK)

An Improved Global Wind Resource Estimate for Integrated Assessment Models: Preprint

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eurek, Kelly [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Sullivan, Patrick [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Gleason, Michael [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Hettinger, Dylan [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Heimiller, Donna [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Lopez, Anthony [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2017-02-01

This paper summarizes initial steps to improving the robustness and accuracy of global renewable resource and techno-economic assessments for use in integrated assessment models. We outline a method to construct country-level wind resource supply curves, delineated by resource quality and other parameters. Using mesoscale reanalysis data, we generate estimates for wind quality, both terrestrial and offshore, across the globe. Because not all land or water area is suitable for development, appropriate database layers provide exclusions to reduce the total resource to its technical potential. We expand upon estimates from related studies by: using a globally consistent data source of uniquely detailed wind speed characterizations; assuming a non-constant coefficient of performance for adjusting power curves for altitude; categorizing the distance from resource sites to the electric power grid; and characterizing offshore exclusions on the basis of sea ice concentrations. The product, then, is technical potential by country, classified by resource quality as determined by net capacity factor. Additional classifications dimensions are available, including distance to transmission networks for terrestrial wind and distance to shore and water depth for offshore. We estimate the total global wind generation potential of 560 PWh for terrestrial wind with 90% of resource classified as low-to-mid quality, and 315 PWh for offshore wind with 67% classified as mid-to-high quality. These estimates are based on 3.5 MW composite wind turbines with 90 m hub heights, 0.95 availability, 90% array efficiency, and 5 MW/km2 deployment density in non-excluded areas. We compare the underlying technical assumption and results with other global assessments.

Influence of the level of fit of a density probability function to wind-speed data on the WECS mean power output estimation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carta, Jose A.; Ramirez, Penelope; Velazquez, Sergio

2008-01-01

Static methods which are based on statistical techniques to estimate the mean power output of a WECS (wind energy conversion system) have been widely employed in the scientific literature related to wind energy. In the static method which we use in this paper, for a given wind regime probability distribution function and a known WECS power curve, the mean power output of a WECS is obtained by resolving the integral, usually using numerical evaluation techniques, of the product of these two functions. In this paper an analysis is made of the influence of the level of fit between an empirical probability density function of a sample of wind speeds and the probability density function of the adjusted theoretical model on the relative error ε made in the estimation of the mean annual power output of a WECS. The mean power output calculated through the use of a quasi-dynamic or chronological method, that is to say using time-series of wind speed data and the power versus wind speed characteristic of the wind turbine, serves as the reference. The suitability of the distributions is judged from the adjusted R 2 statistic (R a 2 ). Hourly mean wind speeds recorded at 16 weather stations located in the Canarian Archipelago, an extensive catalogue of wind-speed probability models and two wind turbines of 330 and 800 kW rated power are used in this paper. Among the general conclusions obtained, the following can be pointed out: (a) that the R a 2 statistic might be useful as an initial gross indicator of the relative error made in the mean annual power output estimation of a WECS when a probabilistic method is employed; (b) the relative errors tend to decrease, in accordance with a trend line defined by a second-order polynomial, as R a 2 increases

Mode extraction on wind turbine blades via phase-based video motion estimation

Science.gov (United States)

Sarrafi, Aral; Poozesh, Peyman; Niezrecki, Christopher; Mao, Zhu

2017-04-01

In recent years, image processing techniques are being applied more often for structural dynamics identification, characterization, and structural health monitoring. Although as a non-contact and full-field measurement method, image processing still has a long way to go to outperform other conventional sensing instruments (i.e. accelerometers, strain gauges, laser vibrometers, etc.,). However, the technologies associated with image processing are developing rapidly and gaining more attention in a variety of engineering applications including structural dynamics identification and modal analysis. Among numerous motion estimation and image-processing methods, phase-based video motion estimation is considered as one of the most efficient methods regarding computation consumption and noise robustness. In this paper, phase-based video motion estimation is adopted for structural dynamics characterization on a 2.3-meter long Skystream wind turbine blade, and the modal parameters (natural frequencies, operating deflection shapes) are extracted. Phase-based video processing adopted in this paper provides reliable full-field 2-D motion information, which is beneficial for manufacturing certification and model updating at the design stage. The phase-based video motion estimation approach is demonstrated through processing data on a full-scale commercial structure (i.e. a wind turbine blade) with complex geometry and properties, and the results obtained have a good correlation with the modal parameters extracted from accelerometer measurements, especially for the first four bending modes, which have significant importance in blade characterization.

Wind gust measurements using pulsed Doppler wind-lidar: comparison of direct and indirect techniques

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

The measurements of wind gusts, defined as short duration wind speed maxima, have traditionally been limited by the height that can be reached by weather masts. Doppler lidars can potentially provide information from levels above this and thereby fill this gap in our knowledge. To measure the 3D...... is 3.9 s) which can provide high resolution turbulent measurements, both in the vertical direction, and potentially in the horizontal direction. In this study we explore different strategies of wind lidar measurements to measure the wind speed maxima. We use a novel stochastic turbulence reconstruction...... model, driven by the Doppler lidar measurements, which uses a non-linear particle filter to estimate the small-scale turbulent fluctuations. The first results show that the reconstruction method can reproduce the wind speed maxima measured by the sonic anemometer if a low-pass filter with a cut...

Estimation of uncertainty of wind energy predictions with application to weather routing and wind power generation

CERN Document Server

Zastrau, David

2017-01-01

Wind drives in combination with weather routing can lower the fuel consumption of cargo ships significantly. For this reason, the author describes a mathematical method based on quantile regression for a probabilistic estimate of the wind propulsion force on a ship route.

Hurricane Wind Speed Estimation Using WindSat 6 and 10 GHz Brightness Temperatures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lei Zhang

2016-08-01

Full Text Available The realistic and accurate estimation of hurricane intensity is highly desired in many scientific and operational applications. With the advance of passive microwave polarimetry, an alternative opportunity for retrieving wind speed in hurricanes has become available. A wind speed retrieval algorithm for wind speeds above 20 m/s in hurricanes has been developed by using the 6.8 and 10.7 GHz vertically and horizontally polarized brightness temperatures of WindSat. The WindSat measurements for 15 category 4 and category 5 hurricanes from 2003 to 2010 and the corresponding H*wind analysis data are used to develop and validate the retrieval model. In addition, the retrieved wind speeds are also compared to the Remote Sensing Systems (RSS global all-weather product and stepped-frequency microwave radiometer (SFMR measurements. The statistical results show that the mean bias and the overall root-mean-square (RMS difference of the retrieved wind speeds with respect to the H*wind analysis data are 0.04 and 2.75 m/s, respectively, which provides an encouraging result for retrieving hurricane wind speeds over the ocean surface. The retrieved wind speeds show good agreement with the SFMR measurements. Two case studies demonstrate that the mean bias and RMS difference are 0.79 m/s and 1.79 m/s for hurricane Rita-1 and 0.63 m/s and 2.38 m/s for hurricane Rita-2, respectively. In general, the wind speed retrieval accuracy of the new model in hurricanes ranges from 2.0 m/s in light rain to 3.9 m/s in heavy rain.

Study on the product estimation of small wind turbines; Kogata fusha no hatsudenryo yosoku ni kansuru kenkyu

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Matsuzawa, K.; Kimura, Y.; Ushiyama, I. [Ashikaga Institute of Technology, Tochigi (Japan); Nagai, H. [Nihon Univ., Chiba (Japan). Coll. of Industrial Technology

1998-09-01

In order to clarify problems involved in application of Weibull probability distribution used for estimation of power production by a large wind turbine to a small wind turbine, and solutions thereof, the estimated results are compared with the observed ones. The conventional estimation method, when applied to a small wind turbine, tends to overestimate production of power, because of overestimated production in a high wind velocity range which occurs less frequently. Estimation of power produced by a wind turbine is based on working wind velocity range, determined from the furling mechanism for the power generation characteristics of the wind turbine concerned. In the case of a small wind turbine, on the other hand, better estimates are obtained from the working wind velocity range in which Weibull wind velocity distribution is used to determine probability of occurrence. For wind turbines working at low to medium wind velocities, such as Savonius wind turbine, the estimates are in fairly good agreement with the observed results, by which is meant that the conventional estimation method aided by Weibull distribution can be directly applicable to small wind turbines. 4 refs., 3 figs., 3 tabs.

Estimation of cost and value of energy from wind turbines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tande, J.O.; Fransden, S.

1995-01-01

The International Energy Agency expert group on recommended practices for wind turbine testing and evaluation is finalizing a second edition of the E stimation of cost of energy from wind energy conversion systems . This paper summarizes those recommendations. Further, the value of wind energy in terms of the associated savings is discussed, and a case study is undertaken to illustrate wind energy cost/benefit analyses. The paper concludes that while the recommended practices on cost estimation may be useful in connection with wind energy feasibility studies there is still a need for further international agreement upon guidelines on how to assess wind energy benefits. (author)

Application of Advanced Particle Swarm Optimization Techniques to Wind-thermal Coordination

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Singh, Sri Niwas; Østergaard, Jacob; Yadagiri, J.

2009-01-01

wind-thermal coordination algorithm is necessary to determine the optimal proportion of wind and thermal generator capacity that can be integrated into the system. In this paper, four versions of Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) techniques are proposed for solving wind-thermal coordination problem...

Lifetime estimation for the power semiconductors considering mission profiles in wind power converter

OpenAIRE

Ma, Ke; Liserre, Marco; Blaabjerg, Frede

2013-01-01

As a key component in the wind turbine system, power electronic converter and its power semiconductors suffer from adverse power loadings related to environment, and are proven to have certain failure rates. Therefore, correct lifetime estimation of wind power converter is crucial for the reliability improvement and also for cost reduction of wind power technology. Unfortunately, the existing lifetime estimation methods for the power electronic converter are not yet suitable in the wind power...

Design of Large Wind Turbines using Fluid-Structure Coupling Technique

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sessarego, Matias

Aerodynamic and structural dynamic performance analysis of modern wind turbines are routinely carried out in the wind energy field using computational tools known as aero-elastic codes. Most aero-elastic codes use the blade element momentum (BEM) technique to model the rotor aerodynamics......-dimensional viscous-inviscid interactive method, MIRAS, with the dynamics model used in the aero-elastic code FLEX5. Following the development of MIRAS-FLEX, a surrogate optimization methodology using MIRAS alone has been developed for the aerodynamic design of wind-turbine rotors. Designing a rotor using...... a computationally expensive MIRAS instead of an inexpensive BEM code represents a challenge, which is resolved by using the proposed surrogate-based approach. The approach is unique because most aerodynamic wind-turbine rotor design codes use the more common and inexpensive BEM technique. As a verification case...

Damage detection in wind turbine blades using acoustic techniques

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Juengert, A., E-mail: anne.juengert@mpa.uni-stuttgart.de [Univ. of Stuttgart, Materialpruefungsanstalt Stuttgart, Stuttgart (Germany)

2013-05-15

Facing climate change, the use of renewable energy gains importance. The wind energy sector grows very fast. Bigger and more powerful wind turbines will be built in the coming decades and the safety and reliability of the turbines will become more important. Wind turbine blades have to be inspected at regular intervals, because they are highly stressed during operation and a blade breakdown can cause big economic damages. The turbine blades consist of fiber reinforced plastics (GFRP/CFRP) and sandwich areas containing wood or plastic foam. The blades are manufactured as two halves and glued together afterwards. Typical damages are delaminations within the GFRP or the sandwich and missing adhesive or deficient bond at the bonding surfaces. The regular inspections of wind turbine blades are performed manually by experts and are limited to visual appraisals and simple tapping tests. To improve the inspections of wind turbine blades non-destructive testing techniques using acoustic waves are being developed. To detect delaminations within the laminates of the turbine blade, a local resonance spectroscopy was used. To detect missing bond areas from the outside of the blade the impulse-echo-technique was applied. This paper is an updated reprint of an article published on ndt.net in 2008. (author)

Damage detection in wind turbine blades using acoustic techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Juengert, A.

2013-01-01

Facing climate change, the use of renewable energy gains importance. The wind energy sector grows very fast. Bigger and more powerful wind turbines will be built in the coming decades and the safety and reliability of the turbines will become more important. Wind turbine blades have to be inspected at regular intervals, because they are highly stressed during operation and a blade breakdown can cause big economic damages. The turbine blades consist of fiber reinforced plastics (GFRP/CFRP) and sandwich areas containing wood or plastic foam. The blades are manufactured as two halves and glued together afterwards. Typical damages are delaminations within the GFRP or the sandwich and missing adhesive or deficient bond at the bonding surfaces. The regular inspections of wind turbine blades are performed manually by experts and are limited to visual appraisals and simple tapping tests. To improve the inspections of wind turbine blades non-destructive testing techniques using acoustic waves are being developed. To detect delaminations within the laminates of the turbine blade, a local resonance spectroscopy was used. To detect missing bond areas from the outside of the blade the impulse-echo-technique was applied. This paper is an updated reprint of an article published on ndt.net in 2008. (author)

Reliability Assessment of Wind Farm Electrical System Based on a Probability Transfer Technique

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hejun Yang

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The electrical system of a wind farm has a significant influence on the wind farm reliability and electrical energy yield. The disconnect switch installed in an electrical system cannot only improve the operating flexibility, but also enhance the reliability for a wind farm. Therefore, this paper develops a probabilistic transfer technique for integrating the electrical topology structure, the isolation operation of disconnect switch, and stochastic failure of electrical equipment into the reliability assessment of wind farm electrical system. Firstly, as the traditional two-state reliability model of electrical equipment cannot consider the isolation operation, so the paper develops a three-state reliability model to replace the two-state model for incorporating the isolation operation. In addition, a proportion apportion technique is presented to evaluate the state probability. Secondly, this paper develops a probabilistic transfer technique based on the thoughts that through transfer the unreliability of electrical system to the energy transmission interruption of wind turbine generators (WTGs. Finally, some novel indices for describing the reliability of wind farm electrical system are designed, and the variance coefficient of the designed indices is used as a convergence criterion to determine the termination of the assessment process. The proposed technique is applied to the reliability assessment of a wind farm with the different topologies. The simulation results show that the proposed techniques are effective in practical applications.

The use of energy pattern factor (EPF) in estimating wind power ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The Energy Pattern Factor (EPF) method is a less computational method of estimating the available wind power density of an area and wind speed variation account for the energy power density throughout a given period. Using the Average daily wind speed data for an 11 year period (2004-2014) obtained from the ...

Toward Robust and Efficient Climate Downscaling for Wind Energy

Science.gov (United States)

Vanvyve, E.; Rife, D.; Pinto, J. O.; Monaghan, A. J.; Davis, C. A.

2011-12-01

This presentation describes a more accurate and economical (less time, money and effort) wind resource assessment technique for the renewable energy industry, that incorporates innovative statistical techniques and new global mesoscale reanalyzes. The technique judiciously selects a collection of "case days" that accurately represent the full range of wind conditions observed at a given site over a 10-year period, in order to estimate the long-term energy yield. We will demonstrate that this new technique provides a very accurate and statistically reliable estimate of the 10-year record of the wind resource by intelligently choosing a sample of ±120 case days. This means that the expense of downscaling to quantify the wind resource at a prospective wind farm can be cut by two thirds from the current industry practice of downscaling a randomly chosen 365-day sample to represent winds over a "typical" year. This new estimate of the long-term energy yield at a prospective wind farm also has far less statistical uncertainty than the current industry standard approach. This key finding has the potential to reduce significantly market barriers to both onshore and offshore wind farm development, since insurers and financiers charge prohibitive premiums on investments that are deemed to be high risk. Lower uncertainty directly translates to lower perceived risk, and therefore far more attractive financing terms could be offered to wind farm developers who employ this new technique.

Possible Power Estimation of Down-Regulated Offshore Wind Power Plants

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gögmen, Tuhfe

The penetration of offshore wind power is continuously increasing in the Northern European grids. To assure safety in the operation of the power system, wind power plants are required to provide ancillary services, including reserve power attained through down-regulating the wind farm from its...... power plant. The developed procedure, the PossPOW algorithm, can also be used in the wind farm control as it yields a real-time wind farm power curve. The modern wind turbines have a possible power signal at the turbine level and the current state of the art is to aggregate those signals to achieve...... the wind farm scale production capacity. However the summation of these individual signals is simply an over-estimation for the wind power plant, due to reduced wake losses during curtailment. The determination of the possible power with the PossPOW algorithm works as follows: firstly the second...

Influence of the level of fit of a density probability function to wind-speed data on the WECS mean power output estimation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carta, Jose A. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Campus de Tafira s/n, 35017 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Canary Islands (Spain); Ramirez, Penelope; Velazquez, Sergio [Department of Renewable Energies, Technological Institute of the Canary Islands, Pozo Izquierdo Beach s/n, 35119 Santa Lucia, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands (Spain)

2008-10-15

Static methods which are based on statistical techniques to estimate the mean power output of a WECS (wind energy conversion system) have been widely employed in the scientific literature related to wind energy. In the static method which we use in this paper, for a given wind regime probability distribution function and a known WECS power curve, the mean power output of a WECS is obtained by resolving the integral, usually using numerical evaluation techniques, of the product of these two functions. In this paper an analysis is made of the influence of the level of fit between an empirical probability density function of a sample of wind speeds and the probability density function of the adjusted theoretical model on the relative error {epsilon} made in the estimation of the mean annual power output of a WECS. The mean power output calculated through the use of a quasi-dynamic or chronological method, that is to say using time-series of wind speed data and the power versus wind speed characteristic of the wind turbine, serves as the reference. The suitability of the distributions is judged from the adjusted R{sup 2} statistic (R{sub a}{sup 2}). Hourly mean wind speeds recorded at 16 weather stations located in the Canarian Archipelago, an extensive catalogue of wind-speed probability models and two wind turbines of 330 and 800 kW rated power are used in this paper. Among the general conclusions obtained, the following can be pointed out: (a) that the R{sub a}{sup 2} statistic might be useful as an initial gross indicator of the relative error made in the mean annual power output estimation of a WECS when a probabilistic method is employed; (b) the relative errors tend to decrease, in accordance with a trend line defined by a second-order polynomial, as R{sub a}{sup 2} increases. (author)

Gearbox Fatigue Load Estimation for Condition Monitoring of Wind Turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Perisic, Nevena; Pedersen, Bo Juul; Kirkegaard, Poul Henning

2012-01-01

control and data acquisition (SCADA) system. Estimated loads can be further used for prediction of remaining operating lifetime of turbine components, detection of high stress level or fault detection. An augmented Kalman filter is chosen as the fatigue load estimator because its characteristics well suit......The focus of the paper is on a design of a fatigue load estimator for predictive condition monitoring systems (CMS) of wind turbines. In order to avoid high-price measurement equipment required for direct load measuring, an indirect approach is suggested using only measurements from supervisory...... for the real time application. This paper presents results of the estimation of the gearbox fatigue load, often called shaft torque, using simulated data of wind turbine. Noise sensitivity of the algorithm is investigated by assuming different levels of measurement noise. Shaft torque estimations are compared...

The problem of the second wind turbine – a note on a common but flawed wind power estimation method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Kleidon

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Several recent wind power estimates suggest that this renewable energy resource can meet all of the current and future global energy demand with little impact on the atmosphere. These estimates are calculated using observed wind speeds in combination with specifications of wind turbine size and density to quantify the extractable wind power. However, this approach neglects the effects of momentum extraction by the turbines on the atmospheric flow that would have effects outside the turbine wake. Here we show with a simple momentum balance model of the atmospheric boundary layer that this common methodology to derive wind power potentials requires unrealistically high increases in the generation of kinetic energy by the atmosphere. This increase by an order of magnitude is needed to ensure momentum conservation in the atmospheric boundary layer. In the context of this simple model, we then compare the effect of three different assumptions regarding the boundary conditions at the top of the boundary layer, with prescribed hub height velocity, momentum transport, or kinetic energy transfer into the boundary layer. We then use simulations with an atmospheric general circulation model that explicitly simulate generation of kinetic energy with momentum conservation. These simulations show that the assumption of prescribed momentum import into the atmospheric boundary layer yields the most realistic behavior of the simple model, while the assumption of prescribed hub height velocity can clearly be disregarded. We also show that the assumptions yield similar estimates for extracted wind power when less than 10% of the kinetic energy flux in the boundary layer is extracted by the turbines. We conclude that the common method significantly overestimates wind power potentials by an order of magnitude in the limit of high wind power extraction. Ultimately, environmental constraints set the upper limit on wind power potential at larger scales rather than

Wind Erosion Processes and Control Techniques in the Sahelian Zone of Niger

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sterk, G.; Stroosnijder, L.; Raats, P.A.C.

1999-01-01

Wind Erosion Processes and Control Techniques in the Sahelian Zone of Niger G. Sterk, L. Stroosnijder, and P.A.C. Raats Abstract The objective of this paper is to present the main results and conclusions from three years of field research on wind erosion processes and control techniques in the

Estimating Planetary Boundary Layer Heights from NOAA Profiler Network Wind Profiler Data

Science.gov (United States)

Molod, Andrea M.; Salmun, H.; Dempsey, M

2015-01-01

An algorithm was developed to estimate planetary boundary layer (PBL) heights from hourly archived wind profiler data from the NOAA Profiler Network (NPN) sites located throughout the central United States. Unlike previous studies, the present algorithm has been applied to a long record of publicly available wind profiler signal backscatter data. Under clear conditions, summertime averaged hourly time series of PBL heights compare well with Richardson-number based estimates at the few NPN stations with hourly temperature measurements. Comparisons with clear sky reanalysis based estimates show that the wind profiler PBL heights are lower by approximately 250-500 m. The geographical distribution of daily maximum PBL heights corresponds well with the expected distribution based on patterns of surface temperature and soil moisture. Wind profiler PBL heights were also estimated under mostly cloudy conditions, and are generally higher than both the Richardson number based and reanalysis PBL heights, resulting in a smaller clear-cloudy condition difference. The algorithm presented here was shown to provide a reliable summertime climatology of daytime hourly PBL heights throughout the central United States.

CYGNSS Surface Wind Observations and Surface Flux Estimates within Low-Latitude Extratropical Cyclones

Science.gov (United States)

Crespo, J.; Posselt, D. J.

2017-12-01

The Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS), launched in December 2016, aims to improve estimates of surface wind speeds over the tropical oceans. While CYGNSS's core mission is to provide better estimates of surface winds within the core of tropical cyclones, previous research has shown that the constellation, with its orbital inclination of 35°, also has the ability to observe numerous extratropical cyclones that form in the lower latitudes. Along with its high spatial and temporal resolution, CYGNSS can provide new insights into how extratropical cyclones develop and evolve, especially in the presence of thick clouds and precipitation. We will demonstrate this by presenting case studies of multiple extratropical cyclones observed by CYGNSS early on in its mission in both Northern and Southern Hemispheres. By using the improved estimates of surface wind speeds from CYGNSS, we can obtain better estimates of surface latent and sensible heat fluxes within and around extratropical cyclones. Surface heat fluxes, driven by surface winds and strong vertical gradients of water vapor and temperature, play a key role in marine cyclogenesis as they increase instability within the boundary layer and may contribute to extreme marine cyclogenesis. In the past, it has been difficult to estimate surface heat fluxes from space borne instruments, as these fluxes cannot be observed directly from space, and deficiencies in spatial coverage and attenuation from clouds and precipitation lead to inaccurate estimates of surface flux components, such as surface wind speeds. While CYGNSS only contributes estimates of surface wind speeds, we can combine this data with other reanalysis and satellite data to provide improved estimates of surface sensible and latent heat fluxes within and around extratropical cyclones and throughout the entire CYGNSS mission.

The Impact of Variable Wind Shear Coefficients on Risk Reduction of Wind Energy Projects.

Science.gov (United States)

Corscadden, Kenneth W; Thomson, Allan; Yoonesi, Behrang; McNutt, Josiah

2016-01-01

Estimation of wind speed at proposed hub heights is typically achieved using a wind shear exponent or wind shear coefficient (WSC), variation in wind speed as a function of height. The WSC is subject to temporal variation at low and high frequencies, ranging from diurnal and seasonal variations to disturbance caused by weather patterns; however, in many cases, it is assumed that the WSC remains constant. This assumption creates significant error in resource assessment, increasing uncertainty in projects and potentially significantly impacting the ability to control gird connected wind generators. This paper contributes to the body of knowledge relating to the evaluation and assessment of wind speed, with particular emphasis on the development of techniques to improve the accuracy of estimated wind speed above measurement height. It presents an evaluation of the use of a variable wind shear coefficient methodology based on a distribution of wind shear coefficients which have been implemented in real time. The results indicate that a VWSC provides a more accurate estimate of wind at hub height, ranging from 41% to 4% reduction in root mean squared error (RMSE) between predicted and actual wind speeds when using a variable wind shear coefficient at heights ranging from 33% to 100% above the highest actual wind measurement.

Estimation of the wind turbine yaw error by support vector machines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sheibat-Othman, Nida; Othman, Sami; Tayari, Raoaa

2015-01-01

Wind turbine yaw error information is of high importance in controlling wind turbine power and structural load. Normally used wind vanes are imprecise. In this work, the estimation of yaw error in wind turbines is studied using support vector machines for regression (SVR). As the methodology...... is data-based, simulated data from a high fidelity aero-elastic model is used for learning. The model simulates a variable speed horizontal-axis wind turbine composed of three blades and a full converter. Both partial load (blade angles fixed at 0 deg) and full load zones (active pitch actuators...

Advanced structural wind engineering

CERN Document Server

Kareem, Ahsan

2013-01-01

This book serves as a textbook for advanced courses as it introduces state-of-the-art information and the latest research results on diverse problems in the structural wind engineering field. The topics include wind climates, design wind speed estimation, bluff body aerodynamics and applications, wind-induced building responses, wind, gust factor approach, wind loads on components and cladding, debris impacts, wind loading codes and standards, computational tools and computational fluid dynamics techniques, habitability to building vibrations, damping in buildings, and suppression of wind-induced vibrations. Graduate students and expert engineers will find the book especially interesting and relevant to their research and work.

Estimating generation costs for wind power production in France

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benazet, J.F.; Probert, E.J.

1997-01-01

Wind power is being exploited in several European countries as one of a possible number of sources of renewable energy. However, in France there is a heavy reliance on nuclear and hydro-electric power and the potential of wind power as part of the energy mix has been virtually ignored. One of the reasons advanced for the under utilisation of this technology is that it is financially unattractive. In this paper the contribution which wind power could potentially make to overall power production levels in France is examined. A cost estimate model is developed which derives electricity generation costs and determines realistic levels of production for the future. The model automatically determines the associated number of wind turbines required and the geographical areas in which they should be located. (author)

Two methods for estimating limits to large-scale wind power generation.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Lee M; Brunsell, Nathaniel A; Mechem, David B; Gans, Fabian; Monaghan, Andrew J; Vautard, Robert; Keith, David W; Kleidon, Axel

2015-09-08

Wind turbines remove kinetic energy from the atmospheric flow, which reduces wind speeds and limits generation rates of large wind farms. These interactions can be approximated using a vertical kinetic energy (VKE) flux method, which predicts that the maximum power generation potential is 26% of the instantaneous downward transport of kinetic energy using the preturbine climatology. We compare the energy flux method to the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) regional atmospheric model equipped with a wind turbine parameterization over a 10(5) km2 region in the central United States. The WRF simulations yield a maximum generation of 1.1 We⋅m(-2), whereas the VKE method predicts the time series while underestimating the maximum generation rate by about 50%. Because VKE derives the generation limit from the preturbine climatology, potential changes in the vertical kinetic energy flux from the free atmosphere are not considered. Such changes are important at night when WRF estimates are about twice the VKE value because wind turbines interact with the decoupled nocturnal low-level jet in this region. Daytime estimates agree better to 20% because the wind turbines induce comparatively small changes to the downward kinetic energy flux. This combination of downward transport limits and wind speed reductions explains why large-scale wind power generation in windy regions is limited to about 1 We⋅m(-2), with VKE capturing this combination in a comparatively simple way.

Spatial Distribution of Estimated Wind-Power Royalties in West Texas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christian Brannstrom

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Wind-power development in the U.S. occurs primarily on private land, producing royalties for landowners through private contracts with wind-farm operators. Texas, the U.S. leader in wind-power production with well-documented support for wind power, has virtually all of its ~12 GW of wind capacity sited on private lands. Determining the spatial distribution of royalty payments from wind energy is a crucial first step to understanding how renewable power may alter land-based livelihoods of some landowners, and, as a result, possibly encourage land-use changes. We located ~1700 wind turbines (~2.7 GW on 241 landholdings in Nolan and Taylor counties, Texas, a major wind-development region. We estimated total royalties to be ~$11.5 million per year, with mean annual royalty received per landowner per year of $47,879 but with significant differences among quintiles and between two sub-regions. Unequal distribution of royalties results from land-tenure patterns established before wind-power development because of a “property advantage,” defined as the pre-existing land-tenure patterns that benefit the fraction of rural landowners who receive wind turbines. A “royalty paradox” describes the observation that royalties flow to a small fraction of landowners even though support for wind power exceeds 70 percent.

Wind Tunnel Assessment of Ship Manoeuvrability using a PMM Technique

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Agdrup, Kristian; Jensen, Andreas G.; Aage, Christian

1999-01-01

Tests have been performed at the Danish Maritime Institute (DMI) to investigate the applicability of a new wind tunnel Planar Motion Mechanism (PMM) for the determination of hydrodynamic coefficients of ships. The method has been tested on a tanker with known towing tank data. The wind tunnel model...... data giving reasonable results. The dependency of amplitude and frequency is evaluated, and sources of inaccuracy are discussed. It is concluded that the wind tunnel method is a promising method to achieve a fast and cost-effective estimate of the hydrodynamic coefficients of a ship hull...

A large-eddy simulation based power estimation capability for wind farms over complex terrain

Science.gov (United States)

Senocak, I.; Sandusky, M.; Deleon, R.

2017-12-01

There has been an increasing interest in predicting wind fields over complex terrain at the micro-scale for resource assessment, turbine siting, and power forecasting. These capabilities are made possible by advancements in computational speed from a new generation of computing hardware, numerical methods and physics modelling. The micro-scale wind prediction model presented in this work is based on the large-eddy simulation paradigm with surface-stress parameterization. The complex terrain is represented using an immersed-boundary method that takes into account the parameterization of the surface stresses. Governing equations of incompressible fluid flow are solved using a projection method with second-order accurate schemes in space and time. We use actuator disk models with rotation to simulate the influence of turbines on the wind field. Data regarding power production from individual turbines are mostly restricted because of proprietary nature of the wind energy business. Most studies report percentage drop of power relative to power from the first row. There have been different approaches to predict power production. Some studies simply report available wind power in the upstream, some studies estimate power production using power curves available from turbine manufacturers, and some studies estimate power as torque multiplied by rotational speed. In the present work, we propose a black-box approach that considers a control volume around a turbine and estimate the power extracted from the turbine based on the conservation of energy principle. We applied our wind power prediction capability to wind farms over flat terrain such as the wind farm over Mower County, Minnesota and the Horns Rev offshore wind farm in Denmark. The results from these simulations are in good agreement with published data. We also estimate power production from a hypothetical wind farm in complex terrain region and identify potential zones suitable for wind power production.

Site calibration for the wind turbine performance evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nam, Yoon Su; Yoo, Neung Soo; Lee, Jung Wan

2004-01-01

The accurate wind speed information at the hub height of a wind turbine is very essential to the exact estimation of the wind turbine power performance testing. Several method on the site calibration, which is a technique to estimate the wind speed at the wind turbine's hub height based on the measured wind data using a reference meteorological mast, are introduced. A site calibration result and the wind resource assessment for the TaeKwanRyung test site are presented using three-month wind data from a reference meteorological mast and the other mast temporarily installed at the site of wind turbine. Besides, an analysis on the uncertainty allocation for the wind speed correction using site calibration is performed

Aeroacoustic Calculations of Wind Turbine Noise with the Actuator Line/ Navier-Stokes Technique

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Debertshäuser, Harald; Shen, Wen Zhong; Zhu, Wei Jun

2016-01-01

technique where the wind turbine flow is calculated by using the in-house actuator line/LES/Navier-Stokes technique and the acoustics is obtained by solving the acoustic perturbation equations. In the flow solver, the wind turbine blades are modelled by rotating lines with body forces determined according...

State of the art on wind resource estimation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maribo Pedersen, B.

1998-12-31

With the increasing number of wind resource estimation studies carried out for regions, countries and even larger areas all over the world, the IEA finds that the time has come to stop and take stock of the various methods used in these studies. The IEA would therefore like to propose an Experts Meeting on wind resource estimation. The Experts Meeting should describe the models and databases used in the various studies. It should shed light on the strengths and shortcomings of the models and answer questions like: where and under what circumstances should a specific model be used? what is the expected accuracy of the estimate of the model? and what is the applicability? When addressing databases the main goal will be to identify the content and scope of these. Further, the quality, availability and reliability of the databases must also be recognised. In the various studies of wind resources the models and databases have been combined in different ways. A final goal of the Experts Meeting is to see whether it is possible to develop systems of methods which would depend on the available input. These systems of methods should be able to address the simple case (level 0) of a region with barely no data, to the complex case of a region with all available measurements: surface observations, radio soundings, satellite observations and so on. The outcome of the meeting should be an inventory of available models as well as databases and a map of already studied regions. (au)

Estimation of wake propagation behind the rotors of wind-powered generators

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Naumov, I. V.; Mikkelsen, Robert Flemming; Okulov, Valery

2016-01-01

. It is shown that the recovery of velocity of incident flow is faster than has been previously defined in the models of calculating the impact of wind electric power plants on the regional climate changes. Thus, existing wind loss calculated on the model of wake behind the wind-powered generator, adjusted......The objectives of this work are to develop the experimental model of wake behind the wind-power generator rotor to estimate its propagation distance and the impact on the average and pulsation characteristics of incident flow with the possibility of further use of these data in the calculation...... models of wind and climate changes in the regions and to determine the optimal operation of wind turbines. For experimental modeling, the laboratory model of wind-powered generator with a horizontal axis was used that operated as wind turbine in optimal mode. The kinematic characteristics of flow...

Evaluation of damping estimates by automated Operational Modal Analysis for offshore wind turbine tower vibrations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bajrić, Anela; Høgsberg, Jan Becker; Rüdinger, Finn

2018-01-01

Reliable predictions of the lifetime of offshore wind turbine structures are influenced by the limited knowledge concerning the inherent level of damping during downtime. Error measures and an automated procedure for covariance driven Operational Modal Analysis (OMA) techniques has been proposed....... In order to obtain algorithmic independent answers, three identification techniques are compared: Eigensystem Realization Algorithm (ERA), covariance driven Stochastic Subspace Identification (COV-SSI) and the Enhanced Frequency Domain Decomposition (EFDD). Discrepancies between automated identification...... techniques are discussed and illustrated with respect to signal noise, measurement time, vibration amplitudes and stationarity of the ambient response. The best bias-variance error trade-off of damping estimates is obtained by the COV-SSI. The proposed automated procedure is validated by real vibration...

A PLL-based resampling technique for vibration analysis in variable-speed wind turbines with PMSG: A bearing fault case

Science.gov (United States)

Pezzani, Carlos M.; Bossio, José M.; Castellino, Ariel M.; Bossio, Guillermo R.; De Angelo, Cristian H.

2017-02-01

Condition monitoring in permanent magnet synchronous machines has gained interest due to the increasing use in applications such as electric traction and power generation. Particularly in wind power generation, non-invasive condition monitoring techniques are of great importance. Usually, in such applications the access to the generator is complex and costly, while unexpected breakdowns results in high repair costs. This paper presents a technique which allows using vibration analysis for bearing fault detection in permanent magnet synchronous generators used in wind turbines. Given that in wind power applications the generator rotational speed may vary during normal operation, it is necessary to use special sampling techniques to apply spectral analysis of mechanical vibrations. In this work, a resampling technique based on order tracking without measuring the rotor position is proposed. To synchronize sampling with rotor position, an estimation of the rotor position obtained from the angle of the voltage vector is proposed. This angle is obtained from a phase-locked loop synchronized with the generator voltages. The proposed strategy is validated by laboratory experimental results obtained from a permanent magnet synchronous generator. Results with single point defects in the outer race of a bearing under variable speed and load conditions are presented.

Mooring Line Damping Estimation for a Floating Wind Turbine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dongsheng Qiao

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The dynamic responses of mooring line serve important functions in the station keeping of a floating wind turbine (FWT. Mooring line damping significantly influences the global motions of a FWT. This study investigates the estimation of mooring line damping on the basis of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory 5 MW offshore wind turbine model that is mounted on the ITI Energy barge. A numerical estimation method is derived from the energy absorption of a mooring line resulting from FWT motion. The method is validated by performing a 1/80 scale model test. Different parameter changes are analyzed for mooring line damping induced by horizontal and vertical motions. These parameters include excitation amplitude, excitation period, and drag coefficient. Results suggest that mooring line damping must be carefully considered in the FWT design.

Mooring line damping estimation for a floating wind turbine.

Science.gov (United States)

Qiao, Dongsheng; Ou, Jinping

2014-01-01

The dynamic responses of mooring line serve important functions in the station keeping of a floating wind turbine (FWT). Mooring line damping significantly influences the global motions of a FWT. This study investigates the estimation of mooring line damping on the basis of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory 5 MW offshore wind turbine model that is mounted on the ITI Energy barge. A numerical estimation method is derived from the energy absorption of a mooring line resulting from FWT motion. The method is validated by performing a 1/80 scale model test. Different parameter changes are analyzed for mooring line damping induced by horizontal and vertical motions. These parameters include excitation amplitude, excitation period, and drag coefficient. Results suggest that mooring line damping must be carefully considered in the FWT design.

Power Curve Estimation With Multivariate Environmental Factors for Inland and Offshore Wind Farms

KAUST Repository

Lee, Giwhyun

2015-04-22

In the wind industry, a power curve refers to the functional relationship between the power output generated by a wind turbine and the wind speed at the time of power generation. Power curves are used in practice for a number of important tasks including predicting wind power production and assessing a turbine’s energy production efficiency. Nevertheless, actual wind power data indicate that the power output is affected by more than just wind speed. Several other environmental factors, such as wind direction, air density, humidity, turbulence intensity, and wind shears, have potential impact. Yet, in industry practice, as well as in the literature, current power curve models primarily consider wind speed and, sometimes, wind speed and direction. We propose an additive multivariate kernel method that can include the aforementioned environmental factors as a new power curve model. Our model provides, conditional on a given environmental condition, both the point estimation and density estimation of power output. It is able to capture the nonlinear relationships between environmental factors and the wind power output, as well as the high-order interaction effects among some of the environmental factors. Using operational data associated with four turbines in an inland wind farm and two turbines in an offshore wind farm, we demonstrate the improvement achieved by our kernel method.

Analysis of the wind data and estimation of the resultant air concentration rates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hu, Shze Jer; Katagiri, Hiroshi; Kobayashi, Hideo

1988-09-01

Statistical analyses and comparisons of the meteorological wind data obtained by the propeller and supersonic anemometers for the year of 1987 in the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute, Tokai, were performed. For wind speeds less than 1 m/s, the propeller readings are generally 0.5 m/s less than those of the supersonic readings. The resultant average air concentration and ground level γ exposure rates due to the radioactive releases for the normal operation of a nuclear plant are over-estimated when calculated using the propeller wind data. As supersonic anemometer can give accurate wind speed to as low as 0.01 m/s, it should be used to measure the low wind speed. The difference in the average air concentrations and γ exposure rates calculated using the two different sets of wind data, is due to the influence of low wind speeds at calm. If the number at calm is large, actual low wind speeds and wind directions should be used in the statistical analysis of atmospheric dispersion to give a more accurate and realistic estimation of the air concentrations and γ exposure rates due to the normal operation of a nuclear plant. (author). 4 refs, 3 figs, 9 tabs

Total cost estimates for large-scale wind scenarios in UK

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dale, Lewis; Milborrow, David; Slark, Richard; Strbac, Goran

2004-01-01

The recent UK Energy White Paper suggested that the Government should aim to secure 20% of electricity from renewable sources by 2020. A number of estimates of the extra cost of such a commitment have been made, but these have not necessarily included all the relevant cost components. This analysis sets out to identify these and to calculate the extra cost to the electricity consumer, assuming all the renewable electricity is sourced from wind energy. This enables one of the more controversial issues--the implications of wind intermittency--to be addressed. The basis of the assumptions associated with generating costs, extra balancing costs and distribution and transmission system reinforcement costs are all clearly identified and the total costs of a '20% wind' scenario are compared with a scenario where a similar amount of energy is generated by gas-fired plant. This enables the extra costs of the renewables scenario to be determined. The central estimate of the extra costs to electricity consumers is just over 0.3 p/kW h in current prices (around 5% extra on average domestic unit prices). Sensitivity analyses examine the implications of differing assumptions. The extra cost would rise if the capital costs of wind generation fall slower than anticipated, but would fall if gas prices rise more rapidly than has been assumed, or if wind plant are more productive. Even if it is assumed that wind has no capacity displacement value, the added cost to the electricity consumer rises by less than 0.1 p/kW h. It is concluded that there does not appear to be any technical reason why a substantial proportion of the country's electricity requirements could not be delivered by wind

Development of a Fast Fluid-Structure Coupling Technique for Wind Turbine Computations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sessarego, Matias; Ramos García, Néstor; Shen, Wen Zhong

2015-01-01

Fluid-structure interaction simulations are routinely used in the wind energy industry to evaluate the aerodynamic and structural dynamic performance of wind turbines. Most aero-elastic codes in modern times implement a blade element momentum technique to model the rotor aerodynamics and a modal......, multi-body, or finite-element approach to model the turbine structural dynamics. The present paper describes a novel fluid-structure coupling technique which combines a threedimensional viscous-inviscid solver for horizontal-axis wind-turbine aerodynamics, called MIRAS, and the structural dynamics model...... used in the aero-elastic code FLEX5. The new code, MIRASFLEX, in general shows good agreement with the standard aero-elastic codes FLEX5 and FAST for various test cases. The structural model in MIRAS-FLEX acts to reduce the aerodynamic load computed by MIRAS, particularly near the tip and at high wind...

Comparing avian and bat fatality rate estimates among North American wind energy projects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Smallwood, Shawn

2011-07-01

Full text: Wind energy development has expanded rapidly, and so have concerns over bird and bat impacts caused by wind turbines. To assess and compare impacts due to collisions, investigators use a common metric, fatalities/MW/year, but estimates of fatality rates have come from various wind turbine models, tower heights, environments, fatality search methods, and analytical methods. To improve comparability and asses large-scale impacts, I applied a common set of assumptions and methods to data in fatality monitoring reports to estimate fatality rates of birds and bats at 71 wind projects across North America (52 outside the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area, APWRA). The data were from wind turbines of 27 sizes (range 0.04-3.00 MW) and 28 tower heights (range 18.5-90 m), and searched at 40 periodic intervals (range 1-90 days) and out to 20 distances from turbines (range 30-126 m). Estimates spanned the years 1982 to 2010, and involved 1-1,345 turbines per unique combination of project, turbine size, tower height, and search methodology. I adjusted fatality rates for search detection rates averaged from 425 detection trials, and for scavenger removal rates based on 413 removal trials. I also adjusted fatality rates for turbine tower height and maximum search radius, based on logistic functions fit to cumulative counts of carcasses that were detected at 1-m distance intervals from the turbine. For each tower height, I estimated the distance at which cumulative carcass counts reached an asymptote, and for each project I calculated the proportion of fatalities likely not found due to the maximum search radius being short of the model-predicted distance asymptote. I used the same estimator in all cases. I estimated mean fatalities/MW/year among North American wind projects at 12.6 bats (80% CI: 8.1-17.1) and 11.1 birds (80% CI: 9.5-12.7), including 1.6 raptors (80% CI: 1.3-2.0), and excluding the Altamont Pass I estimated fatality rates at 17.2 bats (80% CI: 9

A Closed-Form Technique for the Reliability and Risk Assessment of Wind Turbine Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leonardo Dueñas-Osorio

2012-06-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes a closed-form method to evaluate wind turbine system reliability and associated failure consequences. Monte Carlo simulation, a widely used approach for system reliability assessment, usually requires large numbers of computational experiments, while existing analytical methods are limited to simple system event configurations with a focus on average values of reliability metrics. By analyzing a wind turbine system and its components in a combinatorial yet computationally efficient form, the proposed approach provides an entire probability distribution of system failure that contains all possible configurations of component failure and survival events. The approach is also capable of handling unique component attributes such as downtime and repair cost needed for risk estimations, and enables sensitivity analysis for quantifying the criticality of individual components to wind turbine system reliability. Applications of the technique are illustrated by assessing the reliability of a 12-subassembly turbine system. In addition, component downtimes and repair costs of components are embedded in the formulation to compute expected annual wind turbine unavailability and repair cost probabilities, and component importance metrics useful for maintenance planning and research prioritization. Furthermore, this paper introduces a recursive solution to closed-form method and applies this to a 45-component turbine system. The proposed approach proves to be computationally efficient and yields vital reliability information that could be readily used by wind farm stakeholders for decision making and risk management.

Wind farm production estimates

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Torben J.; Larsen, Gunner Chr.; Aagaard Madsen, Helge

2012-01-01

In this paper, the Dynamic Wake Meandering (DWM) model is applied for simulation of wind farm production. In addition to the numerical simulations, measured data have been analyzed in order to provide the basis for a full-scale verification of the model performance. The basic idea behind the DWMm......In this paper, the Dynamic Wake Meandering (DWM) model is applied for simulation of wind farm production. In addition to the numerical simulations, measured data have been analyzed in order to provide the basis for a full-scale verification of the model performance. The basic idea behind...... the DWMmodel is to model the in- stationary wind farm flow characteristics by considering wind turbine wakes as passive tracers continuously emitted from the wind farm turbines each with a downstream transport pro- cess dictated by large scale turbulent eddies (lateral and ver- tical transportation; i.......e. meandering) and Taylor advection. For the present purpose, the DWM model has been im- plemented in the aeroelastic code HAWC2 [1], and the per- formance of the resulting model complex is mainly verified by comparing simulated and measured loads for the Dutch off-shore Egmond aan Zee wind farm [2]. This farm...

Estimating return periods of extreme values from relatively short time series of winds

Science.gov (United States)

Jonasson, Kristjan; Agustsson, Halfdan; Rognvaldsson, Olafur; Arfeuille, Gilles

2013-04-01

An important factor for determining the prospect of individual wind farm sites is the frequency of extreme winds at hub height. Here, extreme winds are defined as the value of the highest 10 minutes averaged wind speed with a 50 year return period, i.e. annual exceeding probability of 2% (Rodrigo, 2010). A frequently applied method to estimate winds in the lowest few hundred meters above ground is to extrapolate observed 10-meter winds logarithmically to higher altitudes. Recent study by Drechsel et al. (2012) showed however that this methodology is not as accurate as interpolating simulated results from the global ECMWF numerical weather prediction (NWP) model to the desired height. Observations of persistent low level jets near Colima in SW-Mexico also show that the logarithmic approach can give highly inaccurate results for some regions (Arfeuille et al., 2012). To address these shortcomings of limited, and/or poorly representative, observations and extrapolations of winds one can use NWP models to dynamically scale down relatively coarse resolution atmospheric analysis. In the case of limited computing resources one has typically to make a compromise between spatial resolution and the duration of the simulated period, both of which can limit the quality of the wind farm siting. A common method to estimate maximum winds is to fit an extreme value distribution (e.g. Gumbel, gev or Pareto) to the maximum values of each year of available data, or the tail of these values. If data are only available for a short period, e.g. 10 or 15 years, then this will give a rather inaccurate estimate. It is possible to deal with this problem by utilizing monthly or weekly maxima, but this introduces new problems: seasonal variation, autocorrelation of neighboring values, and increased discrepancy between data and fitted distribution. We introduce a new method to estimate return periods of extreme values of winds at hub height from relatively short time series of winds, simulated

Optimizing Lidar Scanning Strategies for Wind Energy Measurements (Invited)

Science.gov (United States)

Newman, J. F.; Bonin, T. A.; Klein, P.; Wharton, S.; Chilson, P. B.

2013-12-01

Environmental concerns and rising fossil fuel prices have prompted rapid development in the renewable energy sector. Wind energy, in particular, has become increasingly popular in the United States. However, the intermittency of available wind energy makes it difficult to integrate wind energy into the power grid. Thus, the expansion and successful implementation of wind energy requires accurate wind resource assessments and wind power forecasts. The actual power produced by a turbine is affected by the wind speeds and turbulence levels experienced across the turbine rotor disk. Because of the range of measurement heights required for wind power estimation, remote sensing devices (e.g., lidar) are ideally suited for these purposes. However, the volume averaging inherent in remote sensing technology produces turbulence estimates that are different from those estimated by a sonic anemometer mounted on a standard meteorological tower. In addition, most lidars intended for wind energy purposes utilize a standard Doppler beam-swinging or Velocity-Azimuth Display technique to estimate the three-dimensional wind vector. These scanning strategies are ideal for measuring mean wind speeds but are likely inadequate for measuring turbulence. In order to examine the impact of different lidar scanning strategies on turbulence measurements, a WindCube lidar, a scanning Halo lidar, and a scanning Galion lidar were deployed at the Southern Great Plains Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) site in Summer 2013. Existing instrumentation at the ARM site, including a 60-m meteorological tower and an additional scanning Halo lidar, were used in conjunction with the deployed lidars to evaluate several user-defined scanning strategies. For part of the experiment, all three scanning lidars were pointed at approximately the same point in space and a tri-Doppler analysis was completed to calculate the three-dimensional wind vector every 1 second. In another part of the experiment, one of

Failure Probability Estimation of Wind Turbines by Enhanced Monte Carlo

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sichani, Mahdi Teimouri; Nielsen, Søren R.K.; Naess, Arvid

2012-01-01

This paper discusses the estimation of the failure probability of wind turbines required by codes of practice for designing them. The Standard Monte Carlo (SMC) simulations may be used for this reason conceptually as an alternative to the popular Peaks-Over-Threshold (POT) method. However......, estimation of very low failure probabilities with SMC simulations leads to unacceptably high computational costs. In this study, an Enhanced Monte Carlo (EMC) method is proposed that overcomes this obstacle. The method has advantages over both POT and SMC in terms of its low computational cost and accuracy...... is controlled by the pitch controller. This provides a fair framework for comparison of the behavior and failure event of the wind turbine with emphasis on the effect of the pitch controller. The Enhanced Monte Carlo method is then applied to the model and the failure probabilities of the model are estimated...

Statistical characterization of roughness uncertainty and impact on wind resource estimation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Kelly

2017-04-01

Full Text Available In this work we relate uncertainty in background roughness length (z0 to uncertainty in wind speeds, where the latter are predicted at a wind farm location based on wind statistics observed at a different site. Sensitivity of predicted winds to roughness is derived analytically for the industry-standard European Wind Atlas method, which is based on the geostrophic drag law. We statistically consider roughness and its corresponding uncertainty, in terms of both z0 derived from measured wind speeds as well as that chosen in practice by wind engineers. We show the combined effect of roughness uncertainty arising from differing wind-observation and turbine-prediction sites; this is done for the case of roughness bias as well as for the general case. For estimation of uncertainty in annual energy production (AEP, we also develop a generalized analytical turbine power curve, from which we derive a relation between mean wind speed and AEP. Following our developments, we provide guidance on approximate roughness uncertainty magnitudes to be expected in industry practice, and we also find that sites with larger background roughness incur relatively larger uncertainties.

Wind Turbine Rotor Simulation via CFD Based Actuator Disc Technique Compared to Detailed Measurement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Esmail Mahmoodi

2015-10-01

Full Text Available In this paper, a generalized Actuator Disc (AD is used to model the wind turbine rotor of the MEXICO experiment, a collaborative European wind turbine project. The AD model as a combination of CFD technique and User Defined Functions codes (UDF, so-called UDF/AD model is used to simulate loads and performance of the rotor in three different wind speed tests. Distributed force on the blade, thrust and power production of the rotor as important designing parameters of wind turbine rotors are focused to model. A developed Blade Element Momentum (BEM theory as a code based numerical technique as well as a full rotor simulation both from the literature are included into the results to compare and discuss. The output of all techniques is compared to detailed measurements for validation, which led us to final conclusions.

Estimates of oceanic surface wind speed and direction using orthogonal beam scatterometer measurements and comparison of recent sea scattering theories

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, R. K.; Fung, A. K.; Dome, G. J.; Birrer, I. J.

1978-01-01

The wind direction properties of radar backscatter from the sea were empirically modelled using a cosine Fourier series through the 4th harmonic in wind direction (referenced to upwind). A comparison with 1975 JONSWAP (Joint North Sea Wave Project) scatterometer data, at incidence angles of 40 and 65, indicates that effects to third and fourth harmonics are negligible. Another important result is that the Fourier coefficients through the second harmonic are related to wind speed by a power law expression. A technique is also proposed to estimate the wind speed and direction over the ocean from two orthogonal scattering measurements. A comparison between two different types of sea scatter theories, one type presented by the work of Wright and the other by that of Chan and Fung, was made with recent scatterometer measurements. It demonstrates that a complete scattering model must include some provisions for the anisotropic characteristics of the sea scatter, and use a sea spectrum which depends upon wind speed.

Analysis and estimation of transient stability for a grid-connected wind turbine with induction generator

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Li, H.; Zhao, B.; Yang, C.

2011-01-01

based on normal form theory is proposed. The transient models of the wind turbine generation system including the flexible drive train model are derived based on the direct transient stability estimation method. A method of critical clearing time (CCT) calculation is developed for the transient......Increasing levels of wind energy in modern electrical power system is initiating a need for accurate analysis and estimation of transient stability of wind turbine generation systems. This paper investigates the transient behaviors and possible direct methods for transient stability evaluation...... of a grid-connected wind turbine with squirrel cage induction generator (SCIG). Firstly, by using an equivalent lump mass method, a three-mass wind turbine equivalent model is proposed considering both the blades and the shaft flexibility of the wind turbine drive train system. Combined with the detailed...

Understanding the Role of Wind in Reducing the Surface Mass Balance Estimates over East Antarctica

Science.gov (United States)

Das, I.; Scambos, T. A.; Koenig, L.; Creyts, T. T.; Bell, R. E.; van den Broeke, M. R.; Lenaerts, J.; Paden, J. D.

2014-12-01

Accurate quantification of surface snow-accumulation over Antarctica is important for mass balance estimates and climate studies based on ice core records. An improved estimate of surface mass balance must include the significant role near-surface wind plays in the sublimation and redistribution of snow across Antarctica. We have developed an empirical model based on airborne radar and lidar observations, and modeled surface mass balance and wind fields to produce a continent-wide prediction of wind-scour zones over Antarctica. These zones have zero to negative surface mass balance, are located over locally steep ice sheet areas (>0.002) and controlled by bedrock topography. The near-surface winds accelerate over these zones, eroding and sublimating the surface snow. This scouring results in numerous localized regions (≤ 200 km2) with reduced surface accumulation. Each year, tens of gigatons of snow on the Antarctic ice sheet are ablated by persistent near-surface katabatic winds over these wind-scour zones. Large uncertainties remain in the surface mass balance estimates over East Antarctica as climate models do not adequately represent the small-scale physical processes that lead to mass loss through sublimation or redistribution over the wind-scour zones. In this study, we integrate Operation IceBridge's snow radar over the Recovery Ice Stream with a series of ice core dielectric and depth-density profiles for improved surface mass balance estimates that reflect the mass loss over the wind-scour zones. Accurate surface mass balance estimates from snow radars require spatially variable depth-density profiles. Using an ensemble of firn cores, MODIS-derived surface snow grain size, modeled accumulation rates and surface temperatures from RACMO2, we assemble spatially variable depth-density profiles and use our mapping of snow density variations to estimate layer mass and net accumulation rates from snow radar layer data. Our study improves the quantification of

Characteristics for wind energy and wind turbines by considering vertical wind shear

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

郑玉巧; 赵荣珍

2015-01-01

The probability distributions of wind speeds and the availability of wind turbines were investigated by considering the vertical wind shear. Based on the wind speed data at the standard height observed at a wind farm, the power-law process was used to simulate the wind speeds at a hub height of 60 m. The Weibull and Rayleigh distributions were chosen to express the wind speeds at two different heights. The parameters in the model were estimated via the least square (LS) method and the maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) method, respectively. An adjusted MLE approach was also presented for parameter estimation. The main indices of wind energy characteristics were calculated based on observational wind speed data. A case study based on the data of Hexi area, Gansu Province of China was given. The results show that MLE method generally outperforms LS method for parameter estimation, and Weibull distribution is more appropriate to describe the wind speed at the hub height.

Thermal Loading and Lifetime Estimation for Power Device Considering Mission Profiles in Wind Power Converter

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ma, Ke; Liserre, Marco; Blaabjerg, Frede

2015-01-01

for the reliability improvement and also for cost reduction of wind power technology. Unfortunately, the existing lifetime estimation methods for the power electronic converter are not yet suitable in the wind power application, because the comprehensive mission profiles are not well specified and included......As a key component in the wind turbine system, the power electronic converter and its power semiconductors suffer from complicated power loadings related to environment, and are proven to have high failure rates. Therefore, correct lifetime estimation of wind power converter is crucial...... devices, more detailed information of the lifetime-related performance in wind power converter can be obtained. Some experimental results are also included to validate the thermal behavior of power device under different mission profiles....

State of the Art and Trends in Wind Resource Assessment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oliver Probst

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Given the significant rise of the utilization of wind energy the accurate assessment of the wind potential is becoming increasingly important. Direct applications of wind assessment techniques include the creation of wind maps on a local scale (typically 5 20 km and the micrositing of wind turbines, the estimation of vertical wind speed variations, prospecting on a regional scale (>100 km, estimation of the long-term wind resource at a given site, and forecasting. The measurement of wind speed and direction still widely relies on cup anemometers, though sonic anemometers are becoming increasingly popular. Moreover, remote sensing by Doppler techniques using the backscattering of either sonic beams (SODAR or light (LIDAR allowing for vertical profiling well beyond hub height are quickly moving into the mainstream. Local wind maps are based on the predicted modification of the regional wind flow pattern by the local atmospheric boundary layer which in turn depends on both topographic and roughness features and the measured wind rose obtained from one or several measurement towers within the boundaries of the planned development site. Initial models were based on linearized versions of the Navier-Stokes equations, whereas more recently full CFD models have been applied to wind farm micrositing. Linear models tend to perform well for terrain slopes lower than about 25% and have the advantage of short execution times. Long-term performance is frequently estimated from correlations with nearby reference stations with concurrent information and continuous time series over a period of at least 10 years. Simple methods consider only point-to-point linear correlations; more advanced methods like multiple regression techniques and methods based on the theory of distributions will be discussed. Both for early prospecting in regions where only scarce or unreliable reference information is available, wind flow modeling on a larger scale (mesoscale is becoming

Reliability/Cost Evaluation on Power System connected with Wind Power for the Reserve Estimation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lee, Go-Eun; Cha, Seung-Tae; Shin, Je-Seok

2012-01-01

Wind power is ideally a renewable energy with no fuel cost, but has a risk to reduce reliability of the whole system because of uncertainty of the output. If the reserve of the system is increased, the reliability of the system may be improved. However, the cost would be increased. Therefore...... the reserve needs to be estimated considering the trade-off between reliability and economic aspects. This paper suggests a methodology to estimate the appropriate reserve, when wind power is connected to the power system. As a case study, when wind power is connected to power system of Korea, the effects...

Probabilistic Wind Power Forecasting with Hybrid Artificial Neural Networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wan, Can; Song, Yonghua; Xu, Zhao

2016-01-01

probabilities of prediction errors provide an alternative yet effective solution. This article proposes a hybrid artificial neural network approach to generate prediction intervals of wind power. An extreme learning machine is applied to conduct point prediction of wind power and estimate model uncertainties...... via a bootstrap technique. Subsequently, the maximum likelihood estimation method is employed to construct a distinct neural network to estimate the noise variance of forecasting results. The proposed approach has been tested on multi-step forecasting of high-resolution (10-min) wind power using...... actual wind power data from Denmark. The numerical results demonstrate that the proposed hybrid artificial neural network approach is effective and efficient for probabilistic forecasting of wind power and has high potential in practical applications....

Size Reduction Techniques for Large Scale Permanent Magnet Generators in Wind Turbines

Science.gov (United States)

Khazdozian, Helena; Hadimani, Ravi; Jiles, David

2015-03-01

Increased wind penetration is necessary to reduce U.S. dependence on fossil fuels, combat climate change and increase national energy security. The U.S Department of Energy has recommended large scale and offshore wind turbines to achieve 20% wind electricity generation by 2030. Currently, geared doubly-fed induction generators (DFIGs) are typically employed in the drivetrain for conversion of mechanical to electrical energy. Yet, gearboxes account for the greatest downtime of wind turbines, decreasing reliability and contributing to loss of profit. Direct drive permanent magnet generators (PMGs) offer a reliable alternative to DFIGs by eliminating the gearbox. However, PMGs scale up in size and weight much more rapidly than DFIGs as rated power is increased, presenting significant challenges for large scale wind turbine application. Thus, size reduction techniques are needed for viability of PMGs in large scale wind turbines. Two size reduction techniques are presented. It is demonstrated that 25% size reduction of a 10MW PMG is possible with a high remanence theoretical permanent magnet. Additionally, the use of a Halbach cylinder in an outer rotor PMG is investigated to focus magnetic flux over the rotor surface in order to increase torque. This work was supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1069283 and a Barbara and James Palmer Endowment at Iowa State University.

Assessing different parameters estimation methods of Weibull distribution to compute wind power density

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohammadi, Kasra; Alavi, Omid; Mostafaeipour, Ali; Goudarzi, Navid; Jalilvand, Mahdi

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Effectiveness of six numerical methods is evaluated to determine wind power density. • More appropriate method for computing the daily wind power density is estimated. • Four windy stations located in the south part of Alberta, Canada namely is investigated. • The more appropriate parameters estimation method was not identical among all examined stations. - Abstract: In this study, the effectiveness of six numerical methods is evaluated to determine the shape (k) and scale (c) parameters of Weibull distribution function for the purpose of calculating the wind power density. The selected methods are graphical method (GP), empirical method of Justus (EMJ), empirical method of Lysen (EML), energy pattern factor method (EPF), maximum likelihood method (ML) and modified maximum likelihood method (MML). The purpose of this study is to identify the more appropriate method for computing the wind power density in four stations distributed in Alberta province of Canada namely Edmonton City Center Awos, Grande Prairie A, Lethbridge A and Waterton Park Gate. To provide a complete analysis, the evaluations are performed on both daily and monthly scales. The results indicate that the precision of computed wind power density values change when different parameters estimation methods are used to determine the k and c parameters. Four methods of EMJ, EML, EPF and ML present very favorable efficiency while the GP method shows weak ability for all stations. However, it is found that the more effective method is not similar among stations owing to the difference in the wind characteristics.

Research on the space-borne coherent wind lidar technique and the prototype experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Long; Tao, Yuliang; An, Chao; Yang, Jukui; Du, Guojun; Zheng, Yongchao

2016-10-01

Space-borne coherent wind lidar technique is considered as one of the most promising and appropriate remote Sensing methods for successfully measuring the whole global vector wind profile between the lower atmosphere and the middle atmosphere. Compared with other traditional methods, the space-borne coherent wind lidar has some advantages, such as, the all-day operation; many lidar systems can be integrated into the same satellite because of the light-weight and the small size, eye-safe wavelength, and being insensitive to the background light. Therefore, this coherent lidar could be widely applied into the earth climate research, disaster monitoring, numerical weather forecast, environment protection. In this paper, the 2μm space-borne coherent wind lidar system for measuring the vector wind profile is proposed. And the technical parameters about the sub-system of the coherent wind lidar are simulated and the all sub-system schemes are proposed. For sake of validating the technical parameters of the space-borne coherent wind lidar system and the optical off-axis telescope, the weak laser signal detection technique, etc. The proto-type coherent wind lidar is produced and the experiments for checking the performance of this proto-type coherent wind lidar are finished with the hard-target and the soft target, and the horizontal wind and the vertical wind profile are measured and calibrated, respectively. For this proto-type coherent wind lidar, the wavelength is 1.54μm, the pulse energy 80μJ, the pulse width 300ns, the diameter of the off-axis telescope 120mm, the single wedge for cone scanning with the 40°angle, and the two dualbalanced InGaAs detector modules are used. The experiment results are well consisted with the simulation process, and these results show that the wind profile between the vertical altitude 4km can be measured, the accuracy of the wind velocity and the wind direction are better than 1m/s and +/-10°, respectively.

Wind Turbines Support Techniques during Frequency Drops — Energy Utilization Comparison

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ayman B. Attya

2014-08-01

Full Text Available The supportive role of wind turbines during frequency drops is still not clear enough, although there are many proposed algorithms. Most of the offered techniques make the wind turbine deviates from optimum power generation operation to special operation modes, to guarantee the availability of reasonable power support, when the system suffers frequency deviations. This paper summarizes the most dominant support algorithms and derives wind turbine power curves for each one. It also conducts a comparison from the point of view of wasted energy, with respect to optimum power generation. The authors insure the advantage of a frequency support algorithm, they previously presented, as it achieved lower amounts of wasted energy. This analysis is performed in two locations that are promising candidates for hosting wind farms in Egypt. Additionally, two different types of wind turbines from two different manufacturers are integrated. Matlab and Simulink are the implemented simulation environments.

Examining the utility of satellite-based wind sheltering estimates for lake hydrodynamic modeling

Science.gov (United States)

Van Den Hoek, Jamon; Read, Jordan S.; Winslow, Luke A.; Montesano, Paul; Markfort, Corey D.

2015-01-01

Satellite-based measurements of vegetation canopy structure have been in common use for the last decade but have never been used to estimate canopy's impact on wind sheltering of individual lakes. Wind sheltering is caused by slower winds in the wake of topography and shoreline obstacles (e.g. forest canopy) and influences heat loss and the flux of wind-driven mixing energy into lakes, which control lake temperatures and indirectly structure lake ecosystem processes, including carbon cycling and thermal habitat partitioning. Lakeshore wind sheltering has often been parameterized by lake surface area but such empirical relationships are only based on forested lakeshores and overlook the contributions of local land cover and terrain to wind sheltering. This study is the first to examine the utility of satellite imagery-derived broad-scale estimates of wind sheltering across a diversity of land covers. Using 30 m spatial resolution ASTER GDEM2 elevation data, the mean sheltering height, hs, being the combination of local topographic rise and canopy height above the lake surface, is calculated within 100 m-wide buffers surrounding 76,000 lakes in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Uncertainty of GDEM2-derived hs was compared to SRTM-, high-resolution G-LiHT lidar-, and ICESat-derived estimates of hs, respective influences of land cover type and buffer width on hsare examined; and the effect of including satellite-based hs on the accuracy of a statewide lake hydrodynamic model was discussed. Though GDEM2 hs uncertainty was comparable to or better than other satellite-based measures of hs, its higher spatial resolution and broader spatial coverage allowed more lakes to be included in modeling efforts. GDEM2 was shown to offer superior utility for estimating hs compared to other satellite-derived data, but was limited by its consistent underestimation of hs, inability to detect within-buffer hs variability, and differing accuracy across land cover types. Nonetheless

Efficiency Optimization by Considering the High Voltage Flyback Transformer Parasitics using an Automatic Winding Layout Technique

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thummala, Prasanth; Schneider, Henrik; Zhang, Zhe

2015-01-01

.The energy efficiency is optimized using a proposed new automatic winding layout (AWL) technique and a comprehensive loss model.The AWL technique generates a large number of transformer winding layouts.The transformer parasitics such as dc resistance, leakage inductance and self-capacitance are calculated...... for each winding layout.An optimization technique is formulated to minimize the sum of energy losses during charge and discharge operations.The efficiency and energy loss distribution results from the optimization routine provide a deep insight into the high voltage transformer designand its impact...

Presentation of a stochastic model estimating the wind energy contribution in remote island electrical networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaldellis, J.K.; Kapsali, M.; Tiligadas, D.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► This study estimates the maximum wind energy contribution to an isolated micro-grid. ► An integrated computational tool is developed on the basis of stochastic analysis. ► The probability distribution of the wind energy surplus and deficit is estimated. ► The results indicate that a strict penetration limit is imposed to wind energy. -- Abstract: The electrification in remote islands whose electricity distribution network is not connected to the mainland’s grid is mostly based on Autonomous Power Stations (APSs) that are usually characterized by a considerably high electricity production cost, while at the same time the contribution of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) in these regions accounts for less than 10% of the total electricity generation. This actually results from the fact that despite the excellent wind potential of most of these islands, the wind energy contribution is significantly restricted from limits imposed to protect the remote electrical grids from possible instability problems, due to the stochastic wind speed behavior and the variable electricity consumption. On the basis of probability distribution of the load demand of a representative Greek island and the corresponding data related to the available wind potential, the present study estimates the maximum – acceptable by the local grid – wind energy contribution. For that reason, an integrated computational algorithm has been developed from first principles, based on a stochastic analysis. According to the results obtained, it becomes evident that with the current wind turbine technology, wind energy cannot play a key role in coping with the electrification problems encountered in many Greek island regions, excluding however the case of introducing bulk energy storage systems that may provide considerable recovery of the remarkable wind energy rejections expected.

Sliding Window Technique for Calculating System LOLP Contributions of Wind Power Plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Milligan, M. R.

2001-01-01

Conventional electric power generation models do not typically recognize the probabilistic nature of the power variations from wind plants. Most models allow for an accurate hourly representation of wind power output, but do not incorporate any probabilistic assessment of whether the given level of wind power will vary from its expected value. The technique presented in this paper uses this variation to calculate an effective forced-outage rate for wind power plants (EFORW). Depending on the type of wind regime undergoing evaluation, the length and diurnal characteristics of a sliding time window can be adjusted so that the EFORW is based on an appropriate time scale. The algorithm allows us to calculate the loss-of-load probability (LOLP) on an hourly basis, fully incorporating the variability of the wind resource into the calculation. This makes it possible to obtain a more accurate assessment of reliability of systems that include wind generation when system reliability is a concern

Wind plant capacity credit variations: A comparison of results using multiyear actual and simulated wind-speed data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Milligan, M.R. [National Renewable Energy Lab., Golden, CO (United States)

1997-12-31

Although it is widely recognized that variations in annual wind energy capture can be significant, it is not clear how significant this effect is on accurately calculating the capacity credit of a wind plant. An important question is raised concerning whether one year of wind data is representative of long-term patterns. This paper calculates the range of capacity credit measures based on 13 years of actual wind-speed data. The results are compared to those obtained with synthetic data sets that are based on one year of data. Although the use of synthetic data sets is a considerable improvement over single-estimate techniques, this paper finds that the actual inter-annual variation in capacity credit is still understated by the synthetic data technique.

Wind Power Ramp Events Prediction with Hybrid Machine Learning Regression Techniques and Reanalysis Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laura Cornejo-Bueno

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Wind Power Ramp Events (WPREs are large fluctuations of wind power in a short time interval, which lead to strong, undesirable variations in the electric power produced by a wind farm. Its accurate prediction is important in the effort of efficiently integrating wind energy in the electric system, without affecting considerably its stability, robustness and resilience. In this paper, we tackle the problem of predicting WPREs by applying Machine Learning (ML regression techniques. Our approach consists of using variables from atmospheric reanalysis data as predictive inputs for the learning machine, which opens the possibility of hybridizing numerical-physical weather models with ML techniques for WPREs prediction in real systems. Specifically, we have explored the feasibility of a number of state-of-the-art ML regression techniques, such as support vector regression, artificial neural networks (multi-layer perceptrons and extreme learning machines and Gaussian processes to solve the problem. Furthermore, the ERA-Interim reanalysis from the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts is the one used in this paper because of its accuracy and high resolution (in both spatial and temporal domains. Aiming at validating the feasibility of our predicting approach, we have carried out an extensive experimental work using real data from three wind farms in Spain, discussing the performance of the different ML regression tested in this wind power ramp event prediction problem.

Estimates of Sputter Yields of Solar-Wind Heavy Ions of Lunar Regolith Materials

Science.gov (United States)

Barghouty, Abdulmasser F.; Adams, James H., Jr.

2008-01-01

At energies of approximately 1 keV/amu, solar-wind protons and heavy ions interact with the lunar surface materials via a number of microscopic interactions that include sputtering. Solar-wind induced sputtering is a main mechanism by which the composition of the topmost layers of the lunar surface can change, dynamically and preferentially. This work concentrates on sputtering induced by solar-wind heavy ions. Sputtering associated with slow (speeds the electrons speed in its first Bohr orbit) and highly charged ions are known to include both kinetic and potential sputtering. Potential sputtering enjoys some unique characteristics that makes it of special interest to lunar science and exploration. Unlike the yield from kinetic sputtering where simulation and approximation schemes exist, the yield from potential sputtering is not as easy to estimate. This work will present a preliminary numerical scheme designed to estimate potential sputtering yields from reactions relevant to this aspect of solar-wind lunar-surface coupling.

Method for Estimating Evaporative Potential (IM/CLO) from ASTM Standard Single Wind Velocity Measures

Science.gov (United States)

2016-08-10

IM/CLO) FROM ASTM STANDARD SINGLE WIND VELOCITY MEASURES DISCLAIMER The opinions or assertions contained herein are the private views of the...USARIEM TECHNICAL REPORT T16-14 METHOD FOR ESTIMATING EVAPORATIVE POTENTIAL (IM/CLO) FROM ASTM STANDARD SINGLE WIND VELOCITY... ASTM STANDARD SINGLE WIND VELOCITY MEASURES Adam W. Potter Biophysics and Biomedical Modeling Division U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental

Adaptive Disturbance Tracking Theory with State Estimation and State Feedback for Region II Control of Large Wind Turbines

Science.gov (United States)

Balas, Mark J.; Thapa Magar, Kaman S.; Frost, Susan A.

2013-01-01

A theory called Adaptive Disturbance Tracking Control (ADTC) is introduced and used to track the Tip Speed Ratio (TSR) of 5 MW Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine (HAWT). Since ADTC theory requires wind speed information, a wind disturbance generator model is combined with lower order plant model to estimate the wind speed as well as partial states of the wind turbine. In this paper, we present a proof of stability and convergence of ADTC theory with lower order estimator and show that the state feedback can be adaptive.

Accounting for unsearched areas in estimating wind turbine-caused fatality

Science.gov (United States)

Huso, Manuela M.P.; Dalthorp, Dan

2014-01-01

With wind energy production expanding rapidly, concerns about turbine-induced bird and bat fatality have grown and the demand for accurate estimation of fatality is increasing. Estimation typically involves counting carcasses observed below turbines and adjusting counts by estimated detection probabilities. Three primary sources of imperfect detection are 1) carcasses fall into unsearched areas, 2) carcasses are removed or destroyed before sampling, and 3) carcasses present in the searched area are missed by observers. Search plots large enough to comprise 100% of turbine-induced fatality are expensive to search and may nonetheless contain areas unsearchable because of dangerous terrain or impenetrable brush. We evaluated models relating carcass density to distance from the turbine to estimate the proportion of carcasses expected to fall in searched areas and evaluated the statistical cost of restricting searches to areas near turbines where carcass density is highest and search conditions optimal. We compared 5 estimators differing in assumptions about the relationship of carcass density to distance from the turbine. We tested them on 6 different carcass dispersion scenarios at each of 3 sites under 2 different search regimes. We found that even simple distance-based carcass-density models were more effective at reducing bias than was a 5-fold expansion of the search area. Estimators incorporating fitted rather than assumed models were least biased, even under restricted searches. Accurate estimates of fatality at wind-power facilities will allow critical comparisons of rates among turbines, sites, and regions and contribute to our understanding of the potential environmental impact of this technology.

Estimation of Separation Buffers for Wind-Prediction Error in an Airborne Separation Assistance System

Science.gov (United States)

Consiglio, Maria C.; Hoadley, Sherwood T.; Allen, B. Danette

2009-01-01

Wind prediction errors are known to affect the performance of automated air traffic management tools that rely on aircraft trajectory predictions. In particular, automated separation assurance tools, planned as part of the NextGen concept of operations, must be designed to account and compensate for the impact of wind prediction errors and other system uncertainties. In this paper we describe a high fidelity batch simulation study designed to estimate the separation distance required to compensate for the effects of wind-prediction errors throughout increasing traffic density on an airborne separation assistance system. These experimental runs are part of the Safety Performance of Airborne Separation experiment suite that examines the safety implications of prediction errors and system uncertainties on airborne separation assurance systems. In this experiment, wind-prediction errors were varied between zero and forty knots while traffic density was increased several times current traffic levels. In order to accurately measure the full unmitigated impact of wind-prediction errors, no uncertainty buffers were added to the separation minima. The goal of the study was to measure the impact of wind-prediction errors in order to estimate the additional separation buffers necessary to preserve separation and to provide a baseline for future analyses. Buffer estimations from this study will be used and verified in upcoming safety evaluation experiments under similar simulation conditions. Results suggest that the strategic airborne separation functions exercised in this experiment can sustain wind prediction errors up to 40kts at current day air traffic density with no additional separation distance buffer and at eight times the current day with no more than a 60% increase in separation distance buffer.

Estimation of monthly wind power outputs of WECS with limited record period using artificial neural networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tu, Yi-Long; Chang, Tsang-Jung; Chen, Cheng-Lung; Chang, Yu-Jung

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► ANN with short record training data is used to estimate power outputs in an existing station. ► The suitable numbers/parameters of input neurons for ANN are presented. ► Current wind speeds and previous power outputs are the most important input neurons. ► Choosing suitable input parameters is more important than choosing multiple parameters. - Abstract: For the brand new wind power industry, online recordings of wind power data are always in a relatively limited period. The aim of the study is to investigate the suitable numbers/parameters of input neurons for artificial neural networks under a short record of measured data. Measured wind speeds, wind directions (yaw angles) and power outputs with 10-min resolution at an existing wind power station, located at Jhongtun, Taiwan, are integrated to form three types of input neuron numbers and sixteen cases of input neurons. The first-10 days of each month in 2006 are used for data training to simulate the following 20-day power generation of the same month. The performance of various input neuron cases is evaluated. The simulated results show that using the first 10-day training data with adequate input neurons can estimate energy outputs well except the weak wind regime (May, June, and July). Among the input neuron parameters used, current wind speeds V(t) and previous power outputs P(t − 1) are the most important. Individually using one of them into input neurons can only provide satisfactory estimation. However, simultaneously using these two parameters into input neurons can give the best estimation. Thus, choosing suitable input parameters is more important than choosing multiple parameters.

Off-Shore wind potential estimation along the coast of Chile by using scatterometer and Reanalysis data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. Mattar

2014-06-01

Full Text Available This work presents the first offshore wind potential estimation over the coast of Chile using long term data series from “QuikSCAT (V04 wind vectors” and ERA-interim’s wind product between 1999-2009 and 1979-2012, respectively. Weibull and Rayleigh’s distribution were used to adjust the data series from the study period to find the probability density function, mean wind speed, maximum and minimum from each data series adjusted per pixel. Power generation and a capacity factor were estimated for the whole scene using three wind turbine models corresponding to 3.6, 5.0 and 8.0 MW. The images obtained from the data processing were grouped into three different wind power zones named (A located up north, (B in the center and (C down south-center. The mean capacity factors are higher than 20%, moreover B and C areas have an average of 36%. This work shows the high wind power potential to generate electricity by using wind off-shore technologies along the coast of Chile.

Evaluation of wind power production prospective and Weibull parameter estimation methods for Babaurband, Sindh Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khahro, Shahnawaz Farhan; Tabbassum, Kavita; Soomro, Amir Mahmood; Dong, Lei; Liao, Xiaozhong

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Weibull scale and shape parameters are calculated using 5 numerical methods. • Yearly mean wind speed is 6.712 m/s at 80 m height with highest in May 9.595 m/s. • Yearly mean WPD is 310 W/m 2 and available energy density is 2716 kWh/m 2 at 80 m height. • Probability of higher wind speeds is more in spring and summer than in autumn and winter. • Estimated cost of per kWh of electricity from wind is calculated as 0.0263 US$/kWh. - Abstract: Pakistan is currently experiencing an acute shortage of energy and urgently needs new sources of affordable energy that could alleviate the misery of the energy starved masses. At present the government is increasing not only the conventional energy sources like hydel and thermal but also focusing on the immense potential of renewable energy sources like; solar, wind, biogas, waste-to-energy etc. The recent economic crisis worldwide, global warming and climate change have also emphasized the need for utilizing economic feasible energy sources having lowest carbon emissions. Wind energy, with its sustainability and low environmental impact, is highly prominent. The aim of this paper is to explore the wind power production prospective of one of the sites in south region of Pakistan. It is worth mentioning here that this type of detailed analysis is hardly done for any location in Pakistan. Wind power densities and frequency distributions of wind speed at four different altitudes along with estimated wind power expected to be generated through commercial wind turbines is calculated. Analysis and comparison of 5 numerical methods is presented in this paper to determine the Weibull scale and shape parameters for the available wind data. The yearly mean wind speed of the considered site is 6.712 m/s and has power density of 310 W/m 2 at 80 m height with high power density during April to August (highest in May with wind speed 9.595 m/s and power density 732 W/m 2 ). Economic evaluation, to exemplify feasibility

Techniques for a Wind Energy System Integration with an Islanded Microgrid

Science.gov (United States)

Goyal, Megha; Fan, Yuanyuan; Ghosh, Arindam; Shahnia, Farhad

2016-04-01

This paper presents two different techniques of a wind energy conversion system (WECS) integration with an islanded microgrid (MG). The islanded microgrid operates in a frequency droop control where its frequency can vary around 50 Hz. The permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) based variable speed WECS is considered, which converts wind energy to a low frequency ac power. Therefore it needs to be connected to the microgrid through a back to back (B2B) converter system. One way of interconnection is to synchronize the MG side converter with the MG bus at which it is connected. In this case, this converter runs at the MG frequency. The other approach is to bring back the MG frequency to 50 Hz using the isochronization concept. In this case, the MG side converter operates at 50 Hz. Both these techniques are developed in this paper. The proposed techniques are validated through extensive PSCAD/EMTDC simulation studies.

Wind observations above an urban river using a new lidar technique, scintillometry and anemometry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wood, C.R. [Department of Meteorology, University of Reading, Reading, RG6 6BB (United Kingdom); Finnish Meteorological Institute, Erik Palmenin aukio 1, Helsinki, 00101 (Finland); Pauscher, L. [King' s College London, Department of Geography, London, WC2R 2LS (United Kingdom); Ward, H.C. [King' s College London, Department of Geography, London, WC2R 2LS (United Kingdom); Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8BB (United Kingdom); Kotthaus, S. [King' s College London, Department of Geography, London, WC2R 2LS (United Kingdom); Barlow, J.F., E-mail: j.f.barlow@reading.ac.uk [Department of Meteorology, University of Reading, Reading, RG6 6BB (United Kingdom); Gouvea, M. [King' s College London, Department of Geography, London, WC2R 2LS (United Kingdom); Lane, S.E. [Department of Meteorology, University of Reading, Reading, RG6 6BB (United Kingdom); Grimmond, C.S.B. [King' s College London, Department of Geography, London, WC2R 2LS (United Kingdom)

2013-01-01

Airflow along rivers might provide a key mechanism for ventilation in cities: important for air quality and thermal comfort. Airflow varies in space and time in the vicinity of rivers. Consequently, there is limited utility in point measurements. Ground-based remote sensing offers the opportunity to study 3D airflow in locations which are difficult to observe with conventional approaches. For three months in the winter and spring of 2011, the airflow above the River Thames in central London was observed using a scanning Doppler lidar, a scintillometer and sonic anemometers. First, an inter-comparison showed that lidar-derived mean wind-speed estimates compare almost as well to sonic anemometers (root-mean-square error (rmse) 0.65-0.68 m s{sup -1}) as comparisons between sonic anemometers (0.35-0.73 m s{sup -1}). Second, the lidar duo-beam operating strategy provided horizontal transects of wind vectors (comparison with scintillometer rmse 1.12-1.63 m s{sup -1}) which revealed mean and turbulent airflow across the river and surrounds; in particular, channelled airflow along the river and changes in turbulence quantities consistent with the roughness changes between built and river environments. The results have important consequences for air quality and dispersion around urban rivers, especially given that many cities have high traffic rates on roads located on riverbanks. -- Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer An inter-comparison was made between lidar-derived winds and regular anemometry. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A new lidar operating technique was developed. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Airflow features above an urban river included channelling of wind.

Wind observations above an urban river using a new lidar technique, scintillometry and anemometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wood, C.R.; Pauscher, L.; Ward, H.C.; Kotthaus, S.; Barlow, J.F.; Gouvea, M.; Lane, S.E.; Grimmond, C.S.B.

2013-01-01

Airflow along rivers might provide a key mechanism for ventilation in cities: important for air quality and thermal comfort. Airflow varies in space and time in the vicinity of rivers. Consequently, there is limited utility in point measurements. Ground-based remote sensing offers the opportunity to study 3D airflow in locations which are difficult to observe with conventional approaches. For three months in the winter and spring of 2011, the airflow above the River Thames in central London was observed using a scanning Doppler lidar, a scintillometer and sonic anemometers. First, an inter-comparison showed that lidar-derived mean wind-speed estimates compare almost as well to sonic anemometers (root-mean-square error (rmse) 0.65–0.68 m s −1 ) as comparisons between sonic anemometers (0.35–0.73 m s −1 ). Second, the lidar duo-beam operating strategy provided horizontal transects of wind vectors (comparison with scintillometer rmse 1.12–1.63 m s −1 ) which revealed mean and turbulent airflow across the river and surrounds; in particular, channelled airflow along the river and changes in turbulence quantities consistent with the roughness changes between built and river environments. The results have important consequences for air quality and dispersion around urban rivers, especially given that many cities have high traffic rates on roads located on riverbanks. -- Highlights: ► An inter-comparison was made between lidar-derived winds and regular anemometry. ► A new lidar operating technique was developed. ► Airflow features above an urban river included channelling of wind.

Estimating the wake deflection downstream of a wind turbine in different atmospheric stabilities: an LES study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. Vollmer

2016-09-01

Full Text Available An intentional yaw misalignment of wind turbines is currently discussed as one possibility to increase the overall energy yield of wind farms. The idea behind this control is to decrease wake losses of downstream turbines by altering the wake trajectory of the controlled upwind turbines. For an application of such an operational control, precise knowledge about the inflow wind conditions, the magnitude of wake deflection by a yawed turbine and the propagation of the wake is crucial. The dependency of the wake deflection on the ambient wind conditions as well as the uncertainty of its trajectory are not sufficiently covered in current wind farm control models. In this study we analyze multiple sources that contribute to the uncertainty of the estimation of the wake deflection downstream of yawed wind turbines in different ambient wind conditions. We find that the wake shapes and the magnitude of deflection differ in the three evaluated atmospheric boundary layers of neutral, stable and unstable thermal stability. Uncertainty in the wake deflection estimation increases for smaller temporal averaging intervals. We also consider the choice of the method to define the wake center as a source of uncertainty as it modifies the result. The variance of the wake deflection estimation increases with decreasing atmospheric stability. Control of the wake position in a highly convective environment is therefore not recommended.

Representivity of wind measurements for design wind speed estimations

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Goliger, Adam M

2013-07-01

Full Text Available of instrumentation sited according to World Meteorological Organization (WMO) requirements. With the advent of automatic weather station technology several decades ago, wind measurements have become much more cost-effective. While previously wind measurements were...

Estimation of Equivalent Thermal Conductivity for Impregnated Electrical Windings Formed from Profiled Rectangular Conductors

OpenAIRE

Ayat, Sabrina S; Wrobel, Rafal; Goss, James; Drury, David

2016-01-01

In order to improve accuracy and reduce model setting-up, and solving time in thermal analysis of electrical machines, transformers and wound passive components, the multi-material winding region is frequently homogenised. The existing winding homogenization techniques are predo-minantly focused on winding constructions with round conductors, where thermal conductivity across conductors is usually assumed to be isotropic. However, for the profiled rectangular conductors that assumption is no ...

The use of wind tunnel facilities to estimate hydrodynamic data

Science.gov (United States)

Hoffmann, Kristoffer; Tophøj Rasmussen, Johannes; Hansen, Svend Ole; Reiso, Marit; Isaksen, Bjørn; Egeberg Aasland, Tale

2016-03-01

Experimental laboratory testing of vortex-induced structural oscillations in flowing water is an expensive and time-consuming procedure, and the testing of high Reynolds number flow regimes is complicated due to the requirement of either a large-scale or high-speed facility. In most cases, Reynolds number scaling effects are unavoidable, and these uncertainties have to be accounted for, usually by means of empirical rules-of-thumb. Instead of performing traditional hydrodynamic measurements, wind tunnel testing in an appropriately designed experimental setup may provide an alternative and much simpler and cheaper framework for estimating the structural behavior under water current and wave loading. Furthermore, the fluid velocities that can be obtained in a wind tunnel are substantially higher than in a water testing facility, thus decreasing the uncertainty from scaling effects. In a series of measurements, wind tunnel testing has been used to investigate the static response characteristics of a circular and a rectangular section model. Motivated by the wish to estimate the vortex-induced in-line vibration characteristics of a neutrally buoyant submerged marine structure, additional measurements on extremely lightweight, helium-filled circular section models were conducted in a dynamic setup. During the experiment campaign, the mass of the model was varied in order to investigate how the mass ratio influences the vibration amplitude. The results show good agreement with both aerodynamic and hydrodynamic experimental results documented in the literature.

Study on wind turbine for Yamagata wind energy institute. Comparison of the actual and estimate values for electric power; Yamagata furyoku hatsudensho no fusha ni tsuite. Hatsudenryo yosoku to jissekichi no hikaku

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nagai, H [Nihon University, Tokyo (Japan); Kojima, T [Yamagata Wind Energy Institute, Yamagata (Japan)

1996-10-27

For two 400kW wind turbines erected in Jan. 1996 of Yamagata Wind Energy Institute, their estimated power output was compared with actual output for 7 months. AMeDAS data in 1985-94 were totaled every month to use as basic data. The altitude and surface roughness model necessary for WAsP analysis recommended by NEDO`s wind condition close inspection manual were prepared using 1/25,000 maps and aerial photographs. The obstacle model for estimating wind conditions at height of the wind turbine was prepared using the data obtained by field survey. Mean wind velocity and latent energy were determined by statistical analysis of wind velocity occurrence relative frequencies and Weibull distribution parameters. The power output of 717,700kWh was obtained for 7 months, which is equivalent to 88.5% of the estimated output of 810,730kWh for the same period. It was clarified from obtained characteristic wind conditions at the site that the wind power generation is promising at the site not only in winter but also in summer. Although the test period was too short, this method was effective as analytical method of output estimation in the planning stage of wind turbines. 3 refs., 8 figs., 4 tabs.

A high resolution global wind atlas - improving estimation of world wind resources

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Badger, Jake; Ejsing Jørgensen, Hans

2011-01-01

to population centres, electrical transmission grids, terrain types, and protected land areas are important parts of the resource assessment downstream of the generation of wind climate statistics. Related to these issues of integration are the temporal characteristics and spatial correlation of the wind...... resources. These aspects will also be addressed by the Global Wind Atlas. The Global Wind Atlas, through a transparent methodology, will provide a unified, high resolution, and public domain dataset of wind energy resources for the whole world. The wind atlas data will be the most appropriate wind resource...

Lightning Attachment Estimation to Wind Turbines by Utilizing Lightning Location Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vogel, Stephan; Holbøll, Joachim; Lopez, Javier

2016-01-01

three different wind power plant locations are analyzed and the impact of varying data qualities is evaluated regarding the ability to detect upward lightning. This work provides a variety of background information which is relevant to the exposure assessment of wind turbine and includes practical......The goal of a lightning exposure assessment is to identify the number, type and characteristics of lightning discharges to a certain structure. There are various Lightning Location System (LLS) technologies available, each of them are characterized by individual performance characteristics....... In this work, these technologies are reviewed and evaluated in order to obtain an estimation of which technologies are eligible to perform a lightning assessment to wind turbines. The results indicate that ground-based mid-range low frequency (LF) LLS systems are most qualified since they combine a wide...

Estimating annoyance to calculated wind turbine shadow flicker is improved when variables associated with wind turbine noise exposure are considered.

Science.gov (United States)

Voicescu, Sonia A; Michaud, David S; Feder, Katya; Marro, Leonora; Than, John; Guay, Mireille; Denning, Allison; Bower, Tara; van den Berg, Frits; Broner, Norm; Lavigne, Eric

2016-03-01

The Community Noise and Health Study conducted by Health Canada included randomly selected participants aged 18-79 yrs (606 males, 632 females, response rate 78.9%), living between 0.25 and 11.22 km from operational wind turbines. Annoyance to wind turbine noise (WTN) and other features, including shadow flicker (SF) was assessed. The current analysis reports on the degree to which estimating high annoyance to wind turbine shadow flicker (HAWTSF) was improved when variables known to be related to WTN exposure were also considered. As SF exposure increased [calculated as maximum minutes per day (SFm)], HAWTSF increased from 3.8% at 0 ≤ SFm wind turbine-related features, concern for physical safety, and noise sensitivity. Reported dizziness was also retained in the final model at p = 0.0581. Study findings add to the growing science base in this area and may be helpful in identifying factors associated with community reactions to SF exposure from wind turbines.

Controller Design of DFIG Based Wind Turbine by Using Evolutionary Soft Computational Techniques

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O. P. Bharti

2017-06-01

Full Text Available This manuscript illustrates the controller design for a doubly fed induction generator based variable speed wind turbine by using a bioinspired scheme. This methodology is based on exploiting two proficient swarm intelligence based evolutionary soft computational procedures. The particle swarm optimization (PSO and bacterial foraging optimization (BFO techniques are employed to design the controller intended for small damping plant of the DFIG. Wind energy overview and DFIG operating principle along with the equivalent circuit model is adequately discussed in this paper. The controller design for DFIG based WECS using PSO and BFO are described comparatively in detail. The responses of the DFIG system regarding terminal voltage, current, active-reactive power, and DC-Link voltage have slightly improved with the evolutionary soft computational procedure. Lastly, the obtained output is equated with a standard technique for performance improvement of DFIG based wind energy conversion system.

Bayesian techniques for surface fuel loading estimation

Science.gov (United States)

Kathy Gray; Robert Keane; Ryan Karpisz; Alyssa Pedersen; Rick Brown; Taylor Russell

2016-01-01

A study by Keane and Gray (2013) compared three sampling techniques for estimating surface fine woody fuels. Known amounts of fine woody fuel were distributed on a parking lot, and researchers estimated the loadings using different sampling techniques. An important result was that precise estimates of biomass required intensive sampling for both the planar intercept...

Wind scatterometry with improved ambiguity selection and rain modeling

Science.gov (United States)

Draper, David Willis

Although generally accurate, the quality of SeaWinds on QuikSCAT scatterometer ocean vector winds is compromised by certain natural phenomena and retrieval algorithm limitations. This dissertation addresses three main contributors to scatterometer estimate error: poor ambiguity selection, estimate uncertainty at low wind speeds, and rain corruption. A quality assurance (QA) analysis performed on SeaWinds data suggests that about 5% of SeaWinds data contain ambiguity selection errors and that scatterometer estimation error is correlated with low wind speeds and rain events. Ambiguity selection errors are partly due to the "nudging" step (initialization from outside data). A sophisticated new non-nudging ambiguity selection approach produces generally more consistent wind than the nudging method in moderate wind conditions. The non-nudging method selects 93% of the same ambiguities as the nudged data, validating both techniques, and indicating that ambiguity selection can be accomplished without nudging. Variability at low wind speeds is analyzed using tower-mounted scatterometer data. According to theory, below a threshold wind speed, the wind fails to generate the surface roughness necessary for wind measurement. A simple analysis suggests the existence of the threshold in much of the tower-mounted scatterometer data. However, the backscatter does not "go to zero" beneath the threshold in an uncontrolled environment as theory suggests, but rather has a mean drop and higher variability below the threshold. Rain is the largest weather-related contributor to scatterometer error, affecting approximately 4% to 10% of SeaWinds data. A simple model formed via comparison of co-located TRMM PR and SeaWinds measurements characterizes the average effect of rain on SeaWinds backscatter. The model is generally accurate to within 3 dB over the tropics. The rain/wind backscatter model is used to simultaneously retrieve wind and rain from SeaWinds measurements. The simultaneous

Wind Climate Parameters for Wind Turbine Fatigue Load Assessment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Toft, Henrik Stensgaard; Svenningsen, Lasse; Moser, Wolfgang

2016-01-01

Site-specific assessment of wind turbine design requires verification that the individual wind turbine components can survive the site-specific wind climate. The wind turbine design standard, IEC 61400-1 (third edition), describes how this should be done using a simplified, equivalent wind climate...... climate required by the current design standard by comparing damage equivalent fatigue loads estimated based on wind climate parameters for each 10 min time-series with fatigue loads estimated based on the equivalent wind climate parameters. Wind measurements from Boulder, CO, in the United States...

Canadian Estimate of Bird Mortality Due to Collisions and Direct Habitat Loss Associated with Wind Turbine Developments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Ryan. Zimmerling

2013-12-01

Full Text Available We estimated impacts on birds from the development and operation of wind turbines in Canada considering both mortality due to collisions and loss of nesting habitat. We estimated collision mortality using data from carcass searches for 43 wind farms, incorporating correction factors for scavenger removal, searcher efficiency, and carcasses that fell beyond the area searched. On average, 8.2 ± 1.4 birds (95% C.I. were killed per turbine per year at these sites, although the numbers at individual wind farms varied from 0 - 26.9 birds per turbine per year. Based on 2955 installed turbines (the number installed in Canada by December 2011, an estimated 23,300 birds (95% C.I. 20,000 - 28,300 would be killed from collisions with turbines each year. We estimated direct habitat loss based on data from 32 wind farms in Canada. On average, total habitat loss per turbine was 1.23 ha, which corresponds to an estimated total habitat loss due to wind farms nationwide of 3635 ha. Based on published estimates of nest density, this could represent habitat for ~5700 nests of all species. Assuming nearby habitats are saturated, and 2 adults displaced per nest site, effects of direct habitat loss are less than that of direct mortality. Installed wind capacity is growing rapidly, and is predicted to increase more than 10-fold over the next 10-15 years, which could lead to direct mortality of approximately 233,000 birds / year, and displacement of 57,000 pairs. Despite concerns about the impacts of biased correction factors on the accuracy of mortality estimates, these values are likely much lower than those from collisions with some other anthropogenic sources such as windows, vehicles, or towers, or habitat loss due to many other forms of development. Species composition data suggest that < 0.2% of the population of any species is currently affected by mortality or displacement from wind turbine development. Therefore, population level impacts are unlikely

On the estimation of wind comfort in a building environment by micro-scale simulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Günter Gross

2014-06-01

Full Text Available A three-dimensional micro-scale model is used to study some aspects of wind comfort in a built-up area. The equations for calculating the mean wind have been extended by a Markov approach for short-term wind fluctuations. The model components have been successfully verified against wind tunnel measurements and observations of a field experiment. The simulated time series are used to estimate wind comfort measures. It turns out that the frequency of exceedance of prescribed thresholds depends strongly on the specification of the gust duration time. It was also possible to calculate the spatial distribution of a gust factor g$g$ depending on local wind characteristics. The simulated range is much broader than a value of g=3–3.5$g=3\\text{--}3.5$ commonly used for wind comfort assessments. Again, the order of magnitude and the bandwidth of g$g$ depends strongly on the definition of a gust.

Blade Bearing Friction Estimation of Operating Wind Turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Perisic, Nevena; Pedersen, Bo Juul; Kirkegaard, Poul Henning

2012-01-01

Blade root bearing on a wind turbine (WTG) enables pitching of blades for power control and rotor braking and is a WTG critical component. As the size of modern WTGs is constantly increasing, this leads to relatively less rigid bearings, more sensitive to deformations, thus WTG operational...... reliability can be increased by continuous monitoring of blade bearing. High blade bearing friction is undesirable, as it may be associated with excessive heating of the surfaces, damage and/or inefficient operation. Thus, continuous observation of bearing friction level is crucial for blade bearing health...... monitoring systems. A novel algorithm for online monitoring of bearing friction level is developed combining physical knowledge about pitch system dynamics with state estimator, i.e. observer theory and signal processing assuming realistic sensor availability. Results show estimation of bearing friction...

Studies on numerical site calibration over complex terrain for wind turbines

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Daisuke; MATSUSHITA; Hikaru; MATSUMIYA; Yoshinori; HARA; Satoshi; WATANABE; Akinori; FURUKAWA

2010-01-01

The estimation of wind turbine performance over complex terrain is very difficult because of the document of standard IEC61400-12 is adapted for flat or slightly complex topography.And the cost of constructing a meteorological mast is higher with scaling wind turbine up.We have proposed a numerical site calibration(NSC) technique in order to estimate the inflow velocity at the position of wind turbine by using CFD tool to calculate the flow field around the site.The present paper shows the problems for the procedure of NSC in which a commercial nonlinear CFD tool and the improvement method are used to gain a more accurate result.It is clarified that the wind turbine performance which is estimated by using the wind speed on the meteorological mast has a good result for annual energy production.

Wind speed reductions by large-scale wind turbine deployments lower turbine efficiencies and set low wind power potentials

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Lee; Kleidon, Axel

2017-04-01

Wind turbines generate electricity by removing kinetic energy from the atmosphere. Large numbers of wind turbines are likely to reduce wind speeds, which lowers estimates of electricity generation from what would be presumed from unaffected conditions. Here, we test how well wind power potentials that account for this effect can be estimated without explicitly simulating atmospheric dynamics. We first use simulations with an atmospheric general circulation model (GCM) that explicitly simulates the effects of wind turbines to derive wind power limits (GCM estimate), and compare them to a simple approach derived from the climatological conditions without turbines [vertical kinetic energy (VKE) estimate]. On land, we find strong agreement between the VKE and GCM estimates with respect to electricity generation rates (0.32 and 0.37 We m-2) and wind speed reductions by 42 and 44%. Over ocean, the GCM estimate is about twice the VKE estimate (0.59 and 0.29 We m-2) and yet with comparable wind speed reductions (50 and 42%). We then show that this bias can be corrected by modifying the downward momentum flux to the surface. Thus, large-scale limits to wind power can be derived from climatological conditions without explicitly simulating atmospheric dynamics. Consistent with the GCM simulations, the approach estimates that only comparatively few land areas are suitable to generate more than 1 We m-2 of electricity and that larger deployment scales are likely to reduce the expected electricity generation rate of each turbine. We conclude that these atmospheric effects are relevant for planning the future expansion of wind power.

Adaptive Data Processing Technique for Lidar-Assisted Control to Bridge the Gap between Lidar Systems and Wind Turbines: Preprint

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schlipf, David; Raach, Steffen; Haizmann, Florian; Cheng, Po Wen; Fleming, Paul; Scholbrock, Andrew, Krishnamurthy, Raghu; Boquet, Mathieu

2015-12-14

This paper presents first steps toward an adaptive lidar data processing technique crucial for lidar-assisted control in wind turbines. The prediction time and the quality of the wind preview from lidar measurements depend on several factors and are not constant. If the data processing is not continually adjusted, the benefit of lidar-assisted control cannot be fully exploited, or can even result in harmful control action. An online analysis of the lidar and turbine data are necessary to continually reassess the prediction time and lidar data quality. In this work, a structured process to develop an analysis tool for the prediction time and a new hardware setup for lidar-assisted control are presented. The tool consists of an online estimation of the rotor effective wind speed from lidar and turbine data and the implementation of an online cross correlation to determine the time shift between both signals. Further, initial results from an ongoing campaign in which this system was employed for providing lidar preview for feed-forward pitch control are presented.

A review on computational fluid dynamic simulation techniques for Darrieus vertical axis wind turbines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghasemian, Masoud; Ashrafi, Z. Najafian; Sedaghat, Ahmad

2017-01-01

Highlights: • A review on CFD simulation technique for Darrieus wind turbines is provided. • Recommendations and guidelines toward reliable and accurate simulations are presented. • Different progresses in CFD simulation of Darrieus wind turbines are addressed. - Abstract: The global warming threats, the presence of policies on support of renewable energies, and the desire for clean smart cities are the major drives for most recent researches on developing small wind turbines in urban environments. VAWTs (vertical axis wind turbines) are most appealing for energy harvesting in the urban environment. This is attributed due to structural simplicity, wind direction independency, no yaw mechanism required, withstand high turbulence winds, cost effectiveness, easier maintenance, and lower noise emission of VAWTs. This paper reviews recent published works on CFD (computational fluid dynamic) simulations of Darrieus VAWTs. Recommendations and guidelines are presented for turbulence modeling, spatial and temporal discretization, numerical schemes and algorithms, and computational domain size. The operating and geometrical parameters such as tip speed ratio, wind speed, solidity, blade number and blade shapes are fully investigated. The purpose is to address different progresses in simulations areas such as blade profile modification and optimization, wind turbine performance augmentation using guide vanes, wind turbine wake interaction in wind farms, wind turbine aerodynamic noise reduction, dynamic stall control, self-starting characteristics, and effects of unsteady and skewed wind conditions.

Estimating wind-turbine-caused bird and bat fatality when zero carcasses are observed

Science.gov (United States)

Huso, Manuela M.P.; Dalthorp, Daniel; Dail, David; Madsen, Lisa

2015-01-01

Many wind-power facilities in the United States have established effective monitoring programs to determine turbine-caused fatality rates of birds and bats, but estimating the number of fatalities of rare species poses special difficulties. The loss of even small numbers of individuals may adversely affect fragile populations, but typically, few (if any) carcasses are observed during monitoring. If monitoring design results in only a small proportion of carcasses detected, then finding zero carcasses may give little assurance that the number of actual fatalities is small. Fatality monitoring at wind-power facilities commonly involves conducting experiments to estimate the probability (g) an individual will be observed, accounting for the possibilities that it falls in an unsearched area, is scavenged prior to detection, or remains undetected even when present. When g  ~0.45. Further, we develop extensions for temporal replication that can inform prior distributions of M and methods for combining information across several areas or time periods. We apply the method to data collected at a wind-power facility where scheduled searches yielded X = 0 raptor carcasses

Estimating wind-turbine-caused bird and bat fatality when zero carcasses are observed.

Science.gov (United States)

Huso, Manuela M P; Dalthorp, Dan; Dail, David; Madsen, Lisa

2015-07-01

Many wind-power facilities in the United States have established effective monitoring programs to determine turbine-caused fatality rates of birds and bats, but estimating the number of fatalities of rare species poses special difficulties. The loss of even small numbers of individuals may adversely affect fragile populations, but typically, few (if any) carcasses are observed during monitoring. If monitoring design results in only a small proportion of carcasses detected, then finding zero carcasses may give little assurance that the number of actual fatalities is small. Fatality monitoring at wind-power facilities commonly involves conducting experiments to estimate the probability (g) an individual will be observed, accounting for the possibilities that it falls in an unsearched area, is scavenged prior to detection, or remains undetected even when present. When g -0.45. Further, we develop extensions for temporal replication that can inform prior distributions of M and methods for combining information across several areas or time periods. We apply the method to data collected at a wind-power facility where scheduled searches yielded X = 0 raptor carcasses.

A preliminary benefit-cost study of a Sandia wind farm.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ehlen, Mark Andrew; Griffin, Taylor; Loose, Verne W.

2011-03-01

In response to federal mandates and incentives for renewable energy, Sandia National Laboratories conducted a feasibility study of installing an on-site wind farm on Sandia National Laboratories and Kirtland Air Force Base property. This report describes this preliminary analysis of the costs and benefits of installing and operating a 15-turbine, 30-MW-capacity wind farm that delivers an estimated 16 percent of 2010 onsite demand. The report first describes market and non-market economic costs and benefits associated with operating a wind farm, and then uses a standard life-cycle costing and benefit-cost framework to estimate the costs and benefits of a wind farm. Based on these 'best-estimates' of costs and benefits and on factor, uncertainty and sensitivity analysis, the analysis results suggest that the benefits of a Sandia wind farm are greater than its costs. The analysis techniques used herein are applicable to the economic assessment of most if not all forms of renewable energy.

Observing Equatorial Thermospheric Winds and Temperatures with a New Mapping Technique

Science.gov (United States)

Faivre, M. W.; Meriwether, J. W.; Sherwood, P.; Veliz, O.

2005-12-01

Application of the Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) at Arequipa, Peru (16.4S, 71.4 W) to measure the Doppler shifts and Doppler broadenings in the equatorial O(1D) 630-nm nightglow has resulted in numerous detections of a large-scale thermospheric phenomenon called the Midnight Temperature Maximum (MTM). A recent detector upgrade with a CCD camera has improved the accuracy of these measurements by a factor of 5. Temperature increases of 50 to 150K have been measured during nights in April and July, 2005, with error bars less than 10K after averaging in all directions. Moreover, the meridional wind measurements show evidence for a flow reversal from equatorward to poleward near local midnight for such events. A new observing strategy based upon the pioneering work of Burnside et al.[1981] maps the equatorial wind and temperature fields by observing in eight equally-spaced azimuth directions, each with a zenith angle of 60 degrees. Analysis of the data obtained with this technique gives the mean wind velocities in the meridional and zonal directions as well as the horizontal gradients of the wind field for these directions. Significant horizontal wind gradients are found for the meridional direction but not for the zonal direction. The zonal wind blows eastward throughout the night with a maximum speed of ~150 m/s near the middle of the night and then decreases towards zero just before dawn. In general, the fastest poleward meridional wind is observed near mid-evening. By the end of the night, the meridional flow tends to be more equatorward at speeds of about 50 m/s. Using the assumption that local time and longitude are equivalent over a period of 30 minutes, a map of the horizontal wind field vector field is constructed over a range of 12 degrees latitude centered at 16.5 S. Comparison between MTM nights and quiet nights (no MTM) revealed significant differences in the horizontal wind fields. Using the method of Fourier decomposition of the line-of-sight winds

Spectral Estimation by the Random Dec Technique

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brincker, Rune; Jensen, Jacob L.; Krenk, Steen

1990-01-01

This paper contains an empirical study of the accuracy of the Random Dec (RDD) technique. Realizations of the response from a single-degree-of-freedom system loaded by white noise are simulated using an ARMA model. The Autocorrelation function is estimated using the RDD technique and the estimated...

Spectral Estimation by the Random DEC Technique

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brincker, Rune; Jensen, J. Laigaard; Krenk, S.

This paper contains an empirical study of the accuracy of the Random Dec (RDD) technique. Realizations of the response from a single-degree-of-freedom system loaded by white noise are simulated using an ARMA model. The Autocorrelation function is estimated using the RDD technique and the estimated...

Estimation of the mid-century Etesians wind pattern from EURO-CORDEX models

Science.gov (United States)

Dafka, Stella; Toreti, Andrea; Luterbacher, Juerg; Zanis, Prodromos; Tyrlis, Evangelos; Xoplaki, Elena

2017-04-01

The Etesians are one of the major and most prominent wind system, prevailing over the Aegean Sea during summer and early autumn. Here, projections of changes in 30-year (2021-2050) wind speeds relative to 1971-2000, under the 8.5 and 4.5 Representative Concentration Pathways, have been produced for Etesians. Future changes in the number of Etesian days and the associated large scale dynamics are also considered. We analyze seven simulations from three EURO-CORDEX regional climate models at a 12 km grid resolution. Both scenarios indicate that in most RCMs daily wind speeds are projected to increase by 1-1.5m/s over the Aegean Sea, suggesting that the current estimate of wind power potential for Aegean Sea will be increased with the greenhouse gas forcing in the coming decades (2021-2050). Wind direction at 10-m as well as the number of Etesian days have shown to undergo minor changes. The projected changes in sea level pressure and geopotential height anomalies at 500 hPa have a large spread among the seven simulations with a disperse tendency of strengthening of the ridge over the Balkans.

Literature review of models for estimating soil erosion and deposition from wind stresses on uranium-mill-tailings covers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bander, T.J.

1982-11-01

Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) is investigating the use of a rock armoring blanket (riprap) to mitigate wind and water erosion of an earthen radon-suppression cover applied to uranium-mill tailings. The mechanics of wind erosion, as well as of soil deposition, are discussed in this report. Several wind erosion models are reviewed to determine if they can be used to estimate the erosion of soil from a mill-tailings cover. One model, developed by W.S. Chepil, contains the most-important factors that describe variables that influence wind erosion. Particular features of other models are also discussed, as well as the application of Chepil's model to a particular tailings pile. For this particular tailings pile, the estimated erosion was almost one inch per year for an unprotected tailings soil surface. Wide variability in the deposition velocity and lack of adequate deposition models preclude reliable estimates of the rate at which airborne particles are deposited

Literature review of models for estimating soil erosion and deposition from wind stresses on uranium-mill-tailings covers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bander, T.J.

1982-11-01

Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) is investigating the use of a rock armoring blanket (riprap) to mitigate wind and water erosion of an earthen radon-suppression cover applied to uranium-mill tailings. The mechanics of wind erosion, as well as of soil deposition, are discussed in this report. Several wind erosion models are reviewed to determine if they can be used to estimate the erosion of soil from a mill-tailings cover. One model, developed by W.S. Chepil, contains the most-important factors that describe variables that influence wind erosion. Particular features of other models are also discussed, as well as the application of Chepil's model to a particular tailings pile. For this particular tailings pile, the estimated erosion was almost one inch per year for an unprotected tailings soil surface. Wide variability in the deposition velocity and lack of adequate deposition models preclude reliable estimates of the rate at which airborne particles are deposited.

Real-time approaches to the estimation of local wind velocity for a fixed-wing unmanned air vehicle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chan, W L; Lee, C S; Hsiao, F B

2011-01-01

Three real-time approaches to estimating local wind velocity for a fixed-wing unmanned air vehicle are presented in this study. All three methods work around the navigation equations with added wind components. The first approach calculates the local wind speed by substituting the ground speed and ascent rate data given by the Global Positioning System (GPS) into the navigation equations. The second and third approaches utilize the extended Kalman filter (EKF) and the unscented Kalman filter (UKF), respectively. The results show that, despite the nonlinearity of the navigation equations, the EKF performance is proven to be on a par with the UKF. A time-varying noise estimation method based on the Wiener filter is also discussed. Results are compared with the average wind speed measured on the ground. All three approaches are proven to be reliable with stated advantages and disadvantages

No-insulation multi-width winding technique for high temperature superconducting magnet.

Science.gov (United States)

Hahn, Seungyong; Kim, Youngjae; Keun Park, Dong; Kim, Kwangmin; Voccio, John P; Bascuñán, Juan; Iwasa, Yukikazu

2013-10-21

We present a No-Insulation ( NI ) Multi-Width ( MW ) winding technique for an HTS (high temperature superconductor) magnet consisting of double-pancake (DP) coils. The NI enables an HTS magnet self-protecting and the MW minimizes the detrimental anisotropy in current-carrying capacity of HTS tape by assigning tapes of multiple widths to DP coils within a stack, widest tape to the top and bottom sections and the narrowest in the midplane section. This paper presents fabrication and test results of an NI-MW HTS magnet and demonstrates the unique features of the NI-MW technique: self-protecting and enhanced field performance, unattainable with the conventional technique.

DC Link Current Estimation in Wind-Double Feed Induction Generator Power Conditioning System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

MARIAN GAICEANU

2010-12-01

Full Text Available In this paper the implementation of the DC link current estimator in power conditioning system of the variable speed wind turbine is shown. The wind turbine is connected to double feed induction generator (DFIG. The variable electrical energy parameters delivered by DFIG are fitted with the electrical grid parameters through back-to-back power converter. The bidirectional AC-AC power converter covers a wide speed range from subsynchronous to supersynchronous speeds. The modern control of back-to-back power converter involves power balance concept, therefore its load power should be known in any instant. By using the power balance control, the DC link voltage variation at the load changes can be reduced. In this paper the load power is estimated from the dc link, indirectly, through a second order DC link current estimator. The load current estimator is based on the DC link voltage and on the dc link input current of the rotor side converter. This method presents certain advantages instead of using measured method, which requires a low pass filter: no time delay, the feedforward current component has no ripple, no additional hardware, and more fast control response. Through the numerical simulation the performances of the proposed DC link output current estimator scheme are demonstrated.

An error reduction algorithm to improve lidar turbulence estimates for wind energy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. F. Newman

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Remote-sensing devices such as lidars are currently being investigated as alternatives to cup anemometers on meteorological towers for the measurement of wind speed and direction. Although lidars can measure mean wind speeds at heights spanning an entire turbine rotor disk and can be easily moved from one location to another, they measure different values of turbulence than an instrument on a tower. Current methods for improving lidar turbulence estimates include the use of analytical turbulence models and expensive scanning lidars. While these methods provide accurate results in a research setting, they cannot be easily applied to smaller, vertically profiling lidars in locations where high-resolution sonic anemometer data are not available. Thus, there is clearly a need for a turbulence error reduction model that is simpler and more easily applicable to lidars that are used in the wind energy industry. In this work, a new turbulence error reduction algorithm for lidars is described. The Lidar Turbulence Error Reduction Algorithm, L-TERRA, can be applied using only data from a stand-alone vertically profiling lidar and requires minimal training with meteorological tower data. The basis of L-TERRA is a series of physics-based corrections that are applied to the lidar data to mitigate errors from instrument noise, volume averaging, and variance contamination. These corrections are applied in conjunction with a trained machine-learning model to improve turbulence estimates from a vertically profiling WINDCUBE v2 lidar. The lessons learned from creating the L-TERRA model for a WINDCUBE v2 lidar can also be applied to other lidar devices. L-TERRA was tested on data from two sites in the Southern Plains region of the United States. The physics-based corrections in L-TERRA brought regression line slopes much closer to 1 at both sites and significantly reduced the sensitivity of lidar turbulence errors to atmospheric stability. The accuracy of machine

A diagnostic model to estimate winds and small-scale drag from Mars Observer PMIRR data

Science.gov (United States)

Barnes, J. R.

1993-01-01

Theoretical and modeling studies indicate that small-scale drag due to breaking gravity waves is likely to be of considerable importance for the circulation in the middle atmospheric region (approximately 40-100 km altitude) on Mars. Recent earth-based spectroscopic observations have provided evidence for the existence of circulation features, in particular, a warm winter polar region, associated with gravity wave drag. Since the Mars Observer PMIRR experiment will obtain temperature profiles extending from the surface up to about 80 km altitude, it will be extensively sampling middle atmospheric regions in which gravity wave drag may play a dominant role. Estimating the drag then becomes crucial to the estimation of the atmospheric winds from the PMIRR-observed temperatures. An interative diagnostic model based upon one previously developed and tested with earth satellite temperature data will be applied to the PMIRR measurements to produce estimates of the small-scale zonal drag and three-dimensional wind fields in the Mars middle atmosphere. This model is based on the primitive equations, and can allow for time dependence (the time tendencies used may be based upon those computed in a Fast Fourier Mapping procedure). The small-scale zonal drag is estimated as the residual in the zonal momentum equation; the horizontal winds having first been estimated from the meridional momentum equation and the continuity equation. The scheme estimates the vertical motions from the thermodynamic equation, and thus needs estimates of the diabatic heating based upon the observed temperatures. The latter will be generated using a radiative model. It is hoped that the diagnostic scheme will be able to produce good estimates of the zonal gravity wave drag in the Mars middle atmosphere, estimates that can then be used in other diagnostic or assimilation efforts, as well as more theoretical studies.

European Wind Atlas and Wind Resource Research in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mortensen, Niels Gylling

to estimate the actual wind climate at any specific site and height within this region. The Danish and European Wind Atlases are examples of how the wind atlas methodology can be employed to estimate the wind resource potential for a country or a sub-continent. Recently, the methodology has also been used...... - from wind measurements at prospective sites to wind tunnel simulations and advanced flow modelling. Among these approaches, the wind atlas methodology - developed at Ris0 National Laboratory over the last 25 years - has gained widespread recognition and is presently considered by many as the industry......-standard tool for wind resource assessment and siting of wind turbines. The PC-implementation of the methodology, the Wind Atlas Analysis and Application Program (WAsP), has been applied in more than 70 countries and territories world-wide. The wind atlas methodology is based on physical descriptions and models...

Identification of variables for site calibration and power curve assessment in complex terrain. Task 8, a literature survey on theory and practice of parameter identification, specification and estimation (ISE) techniques

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Verhoef, J.P.; Leendertse, G.P. [ECN Wind, Petten (Netherlands)

2001-04-01

This document presents the literature survey results on Identification, Specification and Estimation (ISE) techniques for variables within the SiteParIden project. Besides an overview of the different general techniques also an overview is given on EU funded wind energy projects where some of these techniques have been applied more specifically. The main problem in applications like power performance assessment and site calibration is to establish an appropriate model for predicting the considered dependent variable with the aid of measured independent (explanatory) variables. In these applications detailed knowledge on what the relevant variables are and how their precise appearance in the model would be is typically missing. Therefore, the identification (of variables) and the specification (of the model relation) are important steps in the model building phase. For the determination of the parameters in the model a reliable variable estimation technique is required. In EU funded wind energy projects the linear regression technique is the most commonly applied tool for the estimation step. The linear regression technique may fail in finding reliable parameter estimates when the model variables are strongly correlated, either due to the experimental set-up or because of their particular appearance in the model. This situation of multicollinearity sometimes results in unrealistic parameter values, e.g. with the wrong algebraic sign. It is concluded that different approaches, like multi-binning can provide a better way of identifying the relevant variables. However further research in these applications is needed and it is recommended that alternative methods (neural networks, singular value decomposition etc.) should also be tested on their usefulness in a succeeding project. Increased interest in complex terrains, as feasible locations for wind farms, has also emphasised the need for adequate models. A common standard procedure to prescribe the statistical

Reliability Estimation with Uncertainties Consideration for High Power IGBTs in 2.3 MW Wind Turbine Converter System

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kostandyan, Erik; Ma, Ke

2012-01-01

This paper investigates the lifetime of high power IGBTs (insulated gate bipolar transistors) used in large wind turbine applications. Since the IGBTs are critical components in a wind turbine power converter, it is of great importance to assess their reliability in the design phase of the turbine....... Minimum, maximum and average junction temperatures profiles for the grid side IGBTs are estimated at each wind speed input values. The selected failure mechanism is the crack propagation in solder joint under the silicon die. Based on junction temperature profiles and physics of failure model......, the probabilistic and determinist damage models are presented with estimated fatigue lives. Reliably levels were assessed by means of First Order Reliability Method taking into account uncertainties....

Estimation of Rotor Effective Wind Speed: A Comparison

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Soltani, Mohsen; Knudsen, Torben; Svenstrup, Mikael

2013-01-01

Modern wind turbine controllers use wind speed information to improve power production and reduce loads on the turbine components. The turbine top wind speed measurement is unfortunately imprecise and not a good representative of the rotor effective wind speed. Consequently, many different model...... aero-servo-elastic turbine simulations and real turbine field experiments in different wind scenarios....

Improved Offshore Wind Resource Assessment in Global Climate Stabilization Scenarios

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arent, D.; Sullivan, P.; Heimiller, D.; Lopez, A.; Eurek, K.; Badger, J.; Jorgensen, H. E.; Kelly, M.; Clarke, L.; Luckow, P.

2012-10-01

This paper introduces a technique for digesting geospatial wind-speed data into areally defined -- country-level, in this case -- wind resource supply curves. We combined gridded wind-vector data for ocean areas with bathymetry maps, country exclusive economic zones, wind turbine power curves, and other datasets and relevant parameters to build supply curves that estimate a country's offshore wind resource defined by resource quality, depth, and distance-from-shore. We include a single set of supply curves -- for a particular assumption set -- and study some implications of including it in a global energy model. We also discuss the importance of downscaling gridded wind vector data to capturing the full resource potential, especially over land areas with complex terrain. This paper includes motivation and background for a statistical downscaling methodology to account for terrain effects with a low computational burden. Finally, we use this forum to sketch a framework for building synthetic electric networks to estimate transmission accessibility of renewable resource sites in remote areas.

Sensing the wind profile

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pena, A.

2009-03-15

This thesis consists of two parts. The first is a synopsis of the theoretical progress of the study that is based on a number of journal papers. The papers, which constitute the second part of the report, aim to analyze, measure, and model the wind prole in and beyond the surface layer by combining observations from cup anemometers with lidars. The lidar is necessary to extend the measurements on masts at the Horns Rev offshore wind farm and over at land at Hoevsoere, Denmark. Both sensing techniques show a high degree of agreement for wind speed measurements performed at either sites. The wind speed measurements are averaged for several stability conditions and compare well with the surface-layer wind profile. At Hoevsoere, it is sufficient to scale the wind speed with the surface friction velocity, whereas at Horns Rev a new scaling is added, due to the variant roughness length. This new scaling is coupled to wind prole models derived for flow over the sea and tested against the wind proles up to 160 m at Horns Rev. The models, which account for the boundary-layer height in stable conditions, show better agreement with the measurements than compared to the traditional theory. Mixing-length parameterizations for the neutral wind prole compare well with length-scale measurements up to 300 m at Hoevsoere and 950 m at Leipzig. The mixing-length-derived wind proles strongly deviate from the logarithmic wind prole, but agree better with the wind speed measurements. The length-scale measurements are compared to the length scale derived from a spectral analysis performed up to 160 m at Hoevsoere showing high agreement. Mixing-length parameterizations are corrected to account for stability and used to derive wind prole models. These compared better to wind speed measurements up to 300 m at Hoevsoere than the surface-layer wind prole. The boundary-layer height is derived in nearneutral and stable conditions based on turbulent momentum uxes only and in unstable conditions

Model-Based Estimation of Collision Risks of Predatory Birds with Wind Turbines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcus Eichhorn

2012-06-01

Full Text Available The expansion of renewable energies, such as wind power, is a promising way of mitigating climate change. Because of the risk of collision with rotor blades, wind turbines have negative effects on local bird populations, particularly on raptors such as the Red Kite (Milvus milvus. Appropriate assessment tools for these effects have been lacking. To close this gap, we have developed an agent-based, spatially explicit model that simulates the foraging behavior of the Red Kite around its aerie in a landscape consisting of different land-use types. We determined the collision risk of the Red Kite with the turbine as a function of the distance between the wind turbine and the aerie and other parameters. The impact function comprises the synergistic effects of species-specific foraging behavior and landscape structure. The collision risk declines exponentially with increasing distance. The strength of this decline depends on the raptor's foraging behavior, its ability to avoid wind turbines, and the mean wind speed in the region. The collision risks, which are estimated by the simulation model, are in the range of values observed in the field. The derived impact function shows that the collision risk can be described as an aggregated function of distance between the wind turbine and the raptor's aerie. This allows an easy and rapid assessment of the ecological impacts of (existing or planned wind turbines in relation to their spatial location. Furthermore, it implies that minimum buffer zones for different landscapes can be determined in a defensible way. This modeling approach can be extended to other bird species with central-place foraging behavior. It provides a helpful tool for landscape planning aimed at minimizing the impacts of wind power on biodiversity.

Two biased estimation techniques in linear regression: Application to aircraft

Science.gov (United States)

Klein, Vladislav

1988-01-01

Several ways for detection and assessment of collinearity in measured data are discussed. Because data collinearity usually results in poor least squares estimates, two estimation techniques which can limit a damaging effect of collinearity are presented. These two techniques, the principal components regression and mixed estimation, belong to a class of biased estimation techniques. Detection and assessment of data collinearity and the two biased estimation techniques are demonstrated in two examples using flight test data from longitudinal maneuvers of an experimental aircraft. The eigensystem analysis and parameter variance decomposition appeared to be a promising tool for collinearity evaluation. The biased estimators had far better accuracy than the results from the ordinary least squares technique.

Numerical Estimation of Fatigue Life of Wind Turbines due to Shadow Effect

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thoft-Christensen, Palle; Pedersen, Ronnie; Nielsen, Søren R.K.

2009-01-01

The influence of tower design on damage accumulation in up-wind turbine blades during tower passage is discussed. The fatigue life of a blade is estimated for a tripod tower configuration and a standard mono-tower. The blade stresses are determined from a dynamic mechanical model with a delay...

Heuristic and probabilistic wind power availability estimation procedures: Improved tools for technology and site selection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nigim, K.A. [University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ont. (Canada). Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Parker, Paul [University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ont. (Canada). Department of Geography, Environmental Studies

2007-04-15

The paper describes two investigative procedures to estimate wind power from measured wind velocities. Wind velocity data are manipulated to visualize the site potential by investigating the probable wind power availability and its capacity to meet a targeted demand. The first procedure is an availability procedure that looks at the wind characteristics and its probable energy capturing profile. This profile of wind enables the probable maximum operating wind velocity profile for a selected wind turbine design to be predicted. The structured procedures allow for a consequent adjustment, sorting and grouping of the measured wind velocity data taken at different time intervals and hub heights. The second procedure is the adequacy procedure that investigates the probable degree of availability and the application consequences. Both procedures are programmed using MathCAD symbolic mathematical software. The math tool is used to generate a visual interpolation of the data as well as numerical results from extensive data sets that exceed the capacity of conventional spreadsheet tools. Two sites located in Southern Ontario, Canada are investigated using the procedures. Successful implementation of the procedures supports informed decision making where a hill site is shown to have much higher wind potential than that measured at the local airport. The process is suitable for a wide spectrum of users who are considering the energy potential for either a grid-tied or off-grid wind energy system. (author)

A comment on "Novel scavenger removal trials increase wind turbine-caused avian fatality estimates"

Science.gov (United States)

Huso, Manuela M.P.; Erickson, Wallace P.

2013-01-01

In a recent paper, Smallwood et al. (2010) conducted a study to compare their “novel” approach to conducting carcass removal trials with what they term the “conventional” approach and to evaluate the effects of the different methods on estimated avian fatality at a wind power facility in California. A quick glance at Table 3 that succinctly summarizes their results and provides estimated fatality rates and 80% confidence intervals calculated using the 2 methods reveals a surprising result. The confidence intervals of all of their estimates and most of the conventional estimates extend below 0. These results imply that wind turbines may have the capacity to create live birds. But a more likely interpretation is that a serious error occurred in the calculation of either the average fatality rate or its standard error or both. Further evaluation of their methods reveals that the scientific basis for concluding that “many estimates of scavenger removal rates prior to [their] study were likely biased low due to scavenger swamping” and “previously reported estimates of avian fatality rates … should be adjusted upwards” was not evident in their analysis and results. Their comparison to conventional approaches was not applicable, their statistical models were questionable, and the conclusions they drew were unsupported.

Wind field reconstruction from nacelle-mounted lidar short-range measurements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Borraccino

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Profiling nacelle lidars probe the wind at several heights and several distances upstream of the rotor. The development of such lidar systems is relatively recent, and it is still unclear how to condense the lidar raw measurements into useful wind field characteristics such as speed, direction, vertical and longitudinal gradients (wind shear. In this paper, we demonstrate an innovative method to estimate wind field characteristics using nacelle lidar measurements taken within the induction zone. Model-fitting wind field reconstruction techniques are applied to nacelle lidar measurements taken at multiple distances close to the rotor, where a wind model is combined with a simple induction model. The method allows robust determination of free-stream wind characteristics. The method was applied to experimental data obtained with two different types of nacelle lidar (five-beam Demonstrator and ZephIR Dual Mode. The reconstructed wind speed was within 0.5 % of the wind speed measured with a mast-top-mounted cup anemometer at 2.5 rotor diameters upstream of the turbine. The technique described in this paper overcomes measurement range limitations of the currently available nacelle lidar technology.

Wind energy developments in the 20th century

Science.gov (United States)

Vargo, D. J.

1974-01-01

Wind turbine systems for generating electrical power have been tested in many countries. Representative examples of turbines which have produced from 100 to 1250 kW are described. The advantages of wind energy consist of its being a nondepleting, nonpolluting, and free fuel source. Its disadvantages relate to the variability of wind and the high installation cost per kilowatt of capacity of wind turbines when compared to other methods of electric-power generation. High fuel costs and potential resource scarcity have led to a five-year joint NASA-NSF program to study wind energy. The program will study wind energy conversion and storage systems with respect to cost effectiveness, and will attempt to estimate national wind-energy potential and develop techniques for generator site selection. The studies concern a small-systems (50-250 kW) project, a megawatt-systems (500-3000 kW) project, supporting research and technology, and energy storage. Preliminary economic analyses indicate that wind-energy conversion can be competitive in high-average-wind areas.

Lightning hazard reduction at wind farms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kithil, R. [National Lightning Safety Institute, Louisville, CO (United States)

1997-12-31

The USA wind farm industry (WFI) largely is centered in low-lightning areas of the State of California. While some evidence of lightning incidents is reported here, the problem is not regarded as serious by most participants. The USA WFI now is moving eastward, into higher areas of lightning activity. The European WFI has had many years experience with lightning problems. One 1995 German study estimated that 80% of wind turbine insurance claims paid for damage compensation were caused by lightning strikes. The European and USA WFI have not adopted site criteria, design fundamentals, or certification techniques aimed at lightning safety. Sufficient evidence about lightning at wind farms is available to confirm that serious potential problems exist.

Wind turbine blades for harnessing energy from Malaysian low speed wind - manufacturing technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abas Abd Wahab; Azmin Shakrine

2000-01-01

Blades for wind turbine to harness energy in the Malaysia low speed winds have been designed. During wind tunnel testing, wind turbine model using this type of blades has cut in speed of 1.5 m/s and turned at 450 rpm at 4 m/s wind. The blades, due to their critical dimensions of 1.2 m length, 5 cm thickness, tapered and 15 degree twist, were difficult to produce especially in large number. Several production methods have been studied but for economical mass production, fibreglass blades using CNC cutting mould were chosen. The blade and mould designs and the manufacturing processes are briefly outlined in this paper. (Author)

Capacity factor prediction and planning in the wind power generation industry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gurgur, Cigdem Z. [Department of Management and Marketing, Richard T. Doermer School of Business and Management Sciences, Indiana - Purdue University, 2101 Coliseum Blvd. East, Fort Wayne, IN 46805 (United States); Jones, Michael [Xcel Energy, Denver, CO 80223 (United States)

2010-12-15

The common practice to calculate wind generation capacity values relies more on heuristic approximations than true system estimations. In this paper we proposed a more accurate method. In the first part of our analysis, a Monte Carlo simulation was created based on Markov chains to provide an independent estimate of the true behavior of wind farm capacity value as a function of system penetration. With this curve as a baseline, a technique for using beta distributions to model the input variables was adopted. A final step to increase accuracy involved the use of numerical convolution within the program to eliminate summation estimates. (author)

On the estimation of the current density in space plasmas: Multi- versus single-point techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Perri, Silvia; Valentini, Francesco; Sorriso-Valvo, Luca; Reda, Antonio; Malara, Francesco

2017-06-01

Thanks to multi-spacecraft mission, it has recently been possible to directly estimate the current density in space plasmas, by using magnetic field time series from four satellites flying in a quasi perfect tetrahedron configuration. The technique developed, commonly called ;curlometer; permits a good estimation of the current density when the magnetic field time series vary linearly in space. This approximation is generally valid for small spacecraft separation. The recent space missions Cluster and Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) have provided high resolution measurements with inter-spacecraft separation up to 100 km and 10 km, respectively. The former scale corresponds to the proton gyroradius/ion skin depth in ;typical; solar wind conditions, while the latter to sub-proton scale. However, some works have highlighted an underestimation of the current density via the curlometer technique with respect to the current computed directly from the velocity distribution functions, measured at sub-proton scales resolution with MMS. In this paper we explore the limit of the curlometer technique studying synthetic data sets associated to a cluster of four artificial satellites allowed to fly in a static turbulent field, spanning a wide range of relative separation. This study tries to address the relative importance of measuring plasma moments at very high resolution from a single spacecraft with respect to the multi-spacecraft missions in the current density evaluation.

Wind turbine state estimation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Knudsen, Torben

2014-01-01

Dynamic inflow is an effect which is normally not included in the models used for wind turbine control design. Therefore, potential improvement from including this effect exists. The objective in this project is to improve the methods previously developed for this and especially to verify the res...

Economics of a small wind pump system based on estimated petrol and diesel cost savings from use in Northern Nigeria

OpenAIRE

Ejieji, C. J.; Olayaki-Luqman, M.

2013-01-01

Eleven years of daily wind records were analyzed for the estimation of available wind energy for water pumping at three selected locations in Northern Nigeria, namely Jos, Kano and Sokoto. This formed the basis for investigating the economics of the use of an imported small wind pump under a deregulated energy market environment.  The estimated available energy for water pumping at the installation height of 9m was 190 kwh/m2/yr for Jos, 225 kwh/m2/yr for Kano and 348 kwh/m2/yr for Sokot...

Results of large scale wind climatologically estimations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrea Kircsi

2008-05-01

Full Text Available The aim of this article is to describe theparticular field of climatology which analyzes airmovement characteristics regarding utilization of windfor energy generation. The article describes features ofwind energy potential available in Hungary compared towind conditions in other areas of the northern quartersphere in order to assist the wind energy use developmentin Hungary. Information on wind climate gives a solidbasis for financial and economic decisions ofstakeholders in the field of wind energy utilization.

Modeling of a Robust Confidence Band for the Power Curve of a Wind Turbine.

Science.gov (United States)

Hernandez, Wilmar; Méndez, Alfredo; Maldonado-Correa, Jorge L; Balleteros, Francisco

2016-12-07

Having an accurate model of the power curve of a wind turbine allows us to better monitor its operation and planning of storage capacity. Since wind speed and direction is of a highly stochastic nature, the forecasting of the power generated by the wind turbine is of the same nature as well. In this paper, a method for obtaining a robust confidence band containing the power curve of a wind turbine under test conditions is presented. Here, the confidence band is bound by two curves which are estimated using parametric statistical inference techniques. However, the observations that are used for carrying out the statistical analysis are obtained by using the binning method, and in each bin, the outliers are eliminated by using a censorship process based on robust statistical techniques. Then, the observations that are not outliers are divided into observation sets. Finally, both the power curve of the wind turbine and the two curves that define the robust confidence band are estimated using each of the previously mentioned observation sets.

Three dimensional winds: A maximum cross-correlation application to elastic lidar data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Buttler, William Tillman [Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States)

1996-05-01

Maximum cross-correlation techniques have been used with satellite data to estimate winds and sea surface velocities for several years. Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is currently using a variation of the basic maximum cross-correlation technique, coupled with a deterministic application of a vector median filter, to measure transverse winds as a function of range and altitude from incoherent elastic backscatter lidar (light detection and ranging) data taken throughout large volumes within the atmospheric boundary layer. Hourly representations of three-dimensional wind fields, derived from elastic lidar data taken during an air-quality study performed in a region of complex terrain near Sunland Park, New Mexico, are presented and compared with results from an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved laser doppler velocimeter. The wind fields showed persistent large scale eddies as well as general terrain-following winds in the Rio Grande valley.

Analysis of wind energy generation possibilities with various rotor types at disadvantageous wind condition zones

Science.gov (United States)

Bieniek, Andrzej

2017-10-01

The paper describe possibilities of energy generation using various rotor types but especially with multi-blade wind engine operates in the areas with unfavourable wind condition. The paper presents also wind energy conversion estimation results presented based on proposed solution of multi-blade wind turbine of outer diameter of 4 m. Based on the wind distribution histogram from the disadvantage wind condition zones (city of Basel) and taking into account design and estimated operating indexes of the considered wind engine rotor an annual energy generation was estimated. Also theoretical energy generation using various types of wind turbines operates at disadvantage wind conditions zones were estimated and compared. The conducted analysis shows that introduction of multi-blade wind rotor instead of the most popular 3- blades or vertical axis rotors results of about 5% better energy generation. Simultaneously there are energy production also at very disadvantages wind condition at wind speed lower then 4 m s-1. Based on considered construction of multi-blade wind engine the rise of rotor mounting height from 10 to 30 m results with more then 300 % better results in terms of electric energy generation.

Analysis of wind energy generation possibilities with various rotor types at disadvantageous wind condition zones

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bieniek Andrzej

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The paper describe possibilities of energy generation using various rotor types but especially with multi-blade wind engine operates in the areas with unfavourable wind condition. The paper presents also wind energy conversion estimation results presented based on proposed solution of multi-blade wind turbine of outer diameter of 4 m. Based on the wind distribution histogram from the disadvantage wind condition zones (city of Basel and taking into account design and estimated operating indexes of the considered wind engine rotor an annual energy generation was estimated. Also theoretical energy generation using various types of wind turbines operates at disadvantage wind conditions zones were estimated and compared. The conducted analysis shows that introduction of multi-blade wind rotor instead of the most popular 3- blades or vertical axis rotors results of about 5% better energy generation. Simultaneously there are energy production also at very disadvantages wind condition at wind speed lower then 4 ms-1. Based on considered construction of multi-blade wind engine the rise of rotor mounting height from 10 to 30 m results with more then 300 % better results in terms of electric energy generation.

Atmosphere–Surface Fluxes of CO2 using Spectral Techniques

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Lise Lotte; Larsen, Søren Ejling

2010-01-01

Different flux estimation techniques are compared here in order to evaluate air–sea exchange measurement methods used on moving platforms. Techniques using power spectra and cospectra to estimate fluxes are presented and applied to measurements of wind speed and sensible heat, latent heat and CO2...... fluxes. Momentum and scalar fluxes are calculated from the dissipation technique utilizing the inertial subrange of the power spectra and from estimation of the cospectral amplitude, and both flux estimates are compared to covariance derived fluxes. It is shown how even data having a poor signal......-to-noise ratio can be used for flux estimations....

An improvement of wind velocity estimation from radar Doppler spectra in the upper mesosphere

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Takeda

2001-08-01

Full Text Available We have developed a new parameter estimation method for Doppler wind spectra in the mesosphere observed with an MST radar such as the MU radar in the DBS (Doppler Beam Swinging mode. Off-line incoherent integration of the Doppler spectra is carried out with a new algorithm excluding contamination by strong meteor echoes. At the same time, initial values on a least square fitting of the Gaussian function are derived using a larger number of integration of the spectra for a longer time and for multiple heights. As a result, a significant improvement has been achieved with the probability of a successful fitting and parameter estimation above 80 km. The top height for the wind estimation has been improved to around 95 km. A comparison between the MU radar and the High Resolution Doppler Imager (HRDI on the UARS satellite is shown and the capability of the new method for a validation of a future satellite mission is suggested.Key words. Meteorology and atmospheric dynamics (middle atmosphere dynamics – Radio science (remote sensing; signal processing

Application of Asymptotic and Rigorous Techniques for the Characterization of Interferences Caused by a Wind Turbine in Its Neighborhood

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Jesús Algar

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a complete assessment to the interferences caused in the nearby radio systems by wind turbines. Three different parameters have been considered: the scattered field of a wind turbine, its radar cross-section (RCS, and the Doppler shift generated by the rotating movements of the blades. These predictions are very useful for the study of the influence of wind farms in radio systems. To achieve this, both high-frequency techniques, such as Geometrical Theory of Diffraction/Uniform Theory of Diffraction (GTD/UTD and Physical Optics (PO, and rigorous techniques, like Method of Moments (MoM, have been used. In the analysis of the scattered field, conductor and dielectric models of the wind turbine have been analyzed. In this way, realistic results can be obtained. For all cases under analysis, the wind turbine has been modeled with NURBS (Non-Uniform Rational B-Spline surfaces since they allow the real shape of the object to be accurately replicated with very little information.

Scour depth estimation using an equation based on wind tunnel experiments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tsutsui Takayuki

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Scour is the result of degradation and aggradation by wind or moving fluid in the front and back of a pole standing in sand, respectively, and is often observed at the bottom of bridge piers in rivers. In this study, we propose a method of estimating the scour depth around a cylindrical structure standing in sand. The relationships among the depth of the scour, the aspect ratio of the structure (= height/diameter, the fluid velocity, and the sand properties (particle size and density were determined experimentally using a wind tunnel. The experiments were carried out under clear-water scour conditions. In the experiments, the aspect ratio of the cylindrical structure, the fluid velocity, and the sand particle size were varied systematically. The diameters of the structure were 20, 40, and 60 mm, and the aspect ratio was varied from 0.25 to 3.0. Sand particles of four sizes (200, 275, 475, and 600 μm were used in the experiment, and the velocity was varied from 4 to 11 m/s. The depth and radius of the scour were measured. As a result, we have developed an equation for estimating the scour depth that uses the aspect ratio, fluid velocity, and sand particle size as parameters.

Estimating the impacts of wind power on power systems—summary of IEA Wind collaboration

Science.gov (United States)

Holttinen, Hannele

2008-04-01

Adding wind power to power systems will have beneficial impacts by reducing the emissions of electricity production and reducing the operational costs of the power system as less fuel is consumed in conventional power plants. Wind power will also have a capacity value to a power system. However, possible negative impacts will have to be assessed to make sure that they will only offset a small part of the benefits and also to ensure the security of the power system operation. An international forum for the exchange of knowledge of power system impacts of wind power has been formed under the IEA Implementing Agreement on Wind Energy. The Task 'Design and Operation of Power Systems with Large Amounts of Wind Power' is analyzing existing case studies from different power systems. There are a multitude of studies completed and ongoing related to the cost of wind integration. However, the results are not easy to compare. This paper describes the general issues of wind power impacts on power systems and presents a comparison of results from ten case studies on increased balancing needs due to wind power.

Estimating the impacts of wind power on power systems-summary of IEA Wind collaboration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holttinen, Hannele

2008-01-01

Adding wind power to power systems will have beneficial impacts by reducing the emissions of electricity production and reducing the operational costs of the power system as less fuel is consumed in conventional power plants. Wind power will also have a capacity value to a power system. However, possible negative impacts will have to be assessed to make sure that they will only offset a small part of the benefits and also to ensure the security of the power system operation. An international forum for the exchange of knowledge of power system impacts of wind power has been formed under the IEA Implementing Agreement on Wind Energy. The Task 'Design and Operation of Power Systems with Large Amounts of Wind Power' is analyzing existing case studies from different power systems. There are a multitude of studies completed and ongoing related to the cost of wind integration. However, the results are not easy to compare. This paper describes the general issues of wind power impacts on power systems and presents a comparison of results from ten case studies on increased balancing needs due to wind power

Adaptive neuro-fuzzy methodology for noise assessment of wind turbine.

Science.gov (United States)

Shamshirband, Shahaboddin; Petković, Dalibor; Hashim, Roslan; Motamedi, Shervin

2014-01-01

Wind turbine noise is one of the major obstacles for the widespread use of wind energy. Noise tone can greatly increase the annoyance factor and the negative impact on human health. Noise annoyance caused by wind turbines has become an emerging problem in recent years, due to the rapid increase in number of wind turbines, triggered by sustainable energy goals set forward at the national and international level. Up to now, not all aspects of the generation, propagation and perception of wind turbine noise are well understood. For a modern large wind turbine, aerodynamic noise from the blades is generally considered to be the dominant noise source, provided that mechanical noise is adequately eliminated. The sources of aerodynamic noise can be divided into tonal noise, inflow turbulence noise, and airfoil self-noise. Many analytical and experimental acoustical studies performed the wind turbines. Since the wind turbine noise level analyzing by numerical methods or computational fluid dynamics (CFD) could be very challenging and time consuming, soft computing techniques are preferred. To estimate noise level of wind turbine, this paper constructed a process which simulates the wind turbine noise levels in regard to wind speed and sound frequency with adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS). This intelligent estimator is implemented using Matlab/Simulink and the performances are investigated. The simulation results presented in this paper show the effectiveness of the developed method.

Evaluation of the Repeatability of the Delta Q Duct Leakage Testing TechniqueIncluding Investigation of Robust Analysis Techniques and Estimates of Weather Induced Uncertainty

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dickerhoff, Darryl; Walker, Iain

2008-08-01

The DeltaQ test is a method of estimating the air leakage from forced air duct systems. Developed primarily for residential and small commercial applications it uses the changes in blower door test results due to forced air system operation. Previous studies established the principles behind DeltaQ testing, but raised issues of precision of the test, particularly for leaky homes on windy days. Details of the measurement technique are available in an ASTM Standard (ASTM E1554-2007). In order to ease adoption of the test method, this study answers questions regarding the uncertainty due to changing weather during the test (particularly changes in wind speed) and the applicability to low leakage systems. The first question arises because the building envelope air flows and pressures used in the DeltaQ test are influenced by weather induced pressures. Variability in wind induced pressures rather than temperature difference induced pressures dominates this effect because the wind pressures change rapidly over the time period of a test. The second question needs to answered so that DeltaQ testing can be used in programs requiring or giving credit for tight ducts (e.g., California's Building Energy Code (CEC 2005)). DeltaQ modeling biases have been previously investigated in laboratory studies where there was no weather induced changes in envelope flows and pressures. Laboratory work by Andrews (2002) and Walker et al. (2004) found biases of about 0.5% of forced air system blower flow and individual test uncertainty of about 2% of forced air system blower flow. The laboratory tests were repeated by Walker and Dickerhoff (2006 and 2008) using a new ramping technique that continuously varied envelope pressures and air flows rather than taking data at pre-selected pressure stations (as used in ASTM E1554-2003 and other previous studies). The biases and individual test uncertainties for ramping were found to be very close (less than 0.5% of air handler flow) to those

Estimation of wind speeds inside Super Typhoon Nepartak from AMSR2 low-frequency brightness temperatures

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Lei; Yin, Xiaobin; Shi, Hanqing; Wang, Zhenzhan; Xu, Qing

2018-04-01

Accurate estimations of typhoon-level winds are highly desired over the western Pacific Ocean. A wind speed retrieval algorithm is used to retrieve the wind speeds within Super Typhoon Nepartak (2016) using 6.9- and 10.7-GHz brightness temperatures from the Japanese Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR2) sensor on board the Global Change Observation Mission-Water 1 (GCOM-W1) satellite. The results show that the retrieved wind speeds clearly represent the intensification process of Super Typhoon Nepartak. A good agreement is found between the retrieved wind speeds and the Soil Moisture Active Passive wind speed product. The mean bias is 0.51 m/s, and the root-mean-square difference is 1.93 m/s between them. The retrieved maximum wind speeds are 59.6 m/s at 04:45 UTC on July 6 and 71.3 m/s at 16:58 UTC on July 6. The two results demonstrate good agreement with the results reported by the China Meteorological Administration and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. In addition, Feng-Yun 2G (FY-2G) satellite infrared images, Feng-Yun 3C (FY-3C) microwave atmospheric sounder data, and AMSR2 brightness temperature images are also used to describe the development and structure of Super Typhoon Nepartak.

Hurricane Wind Vector Estimates from WindSat Polarimetric Radiometer

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Adams, Ian S; Hennon, Christopther C; Jones, W. L; Ahmad, Khalil

2005-01-01

.... In late 2004, the first preliminary oceanic wind vector results were released, and this paper presents the first evaluation of this product for several Atlantic hurricanes during the 2003 season...

Line impedance estimation using model based identification technique

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ciobotaru, Mihai; Agelidis, Vassilios; Teodorescu, Remus

2011-01-01

The estimation of the line impedance can be used by the control of numerous grid-connected systems, such as active filters, islanding detection techniques, non-linear current controllers, detection of the on/off grid operation mode. Therefore, estimating the line impedance can add extra functions...... into the operation of the grid-connected power converters. This paper describes a quasi passive method for estimating the line impedance of the distribution electricity network. The method uses the model based identification technique to obtain the resistive and inductive parts of the line impedance. The quasi...

Generation of electricity by wind power

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Golding, E W

1976-01-01

Information on wind power is presented concerning the history of windmills; estimation of the energy obtainable from the wind; wind characteristics and distribution; wind power sites; wind surveys; wind flow over hills; measurement of wind velocity; wind structure and its determination; wind data and energy estimation; testing of wind driven ac generators; wind-driven machines; propeller type windmills; plants for isolated premises and small communities; economy of wind power generation; construction costs for large wind-driven generators; relationship of wind power to other power sources; research and development; and international cooperation.

Minimum K-S estimator using PH-transform technique

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Somchit Boonthiem

2016-07-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we propose an improvement of the Minimum Kolmogorov-Smirnov (K-S estimator using proportional hazards transform (PH-transform technique. The data of experiment is 47 fire accidents data of an insurance company in Thailand. This experiment has two operations, the first operation, we minimize K-S statistic value using grid search technique for nine distributions; Rayleigh distribution, gamma distribution, Pareto distribution, log-logistic distribution, logistic distribution, normal distribution, Weibull distribution, lognormal distribution, and exponential distribution and the second operation, we improve K-S statistic using PHtransform. The result appears that PH-transform technique can improve the Minimum K-S estimator. The algorithms give better the Minimum K-S estimator for seven distributions; Rayleigh distribution, logistic distribution, gamma distribution, Pareto distribution, log-logistic distribution, normal distribution, Weibull distribution, log-normal distribution, and exponential distribution while the Minimum K-S estimators of normal distribution and logistic distribution are unchanged

Economics of a small wind pump system based on estimated petrol and diesel cost savings from use in Northern Nigeria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. J. Ejieji

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Eleven years of daily wind records were analyzed for the estimation of available wind energy for water pumping at three selected locations in Northern Nigeria, namely Jos, Kano and Sokoto. This formed the basis for investigating the economics of the use of an imported small wind pump under a deregulated energy market environment. The estimated available energy for water pumping at the installation height of 9m was 190 kwh/m2/yr for Jos, 225 kwh/m2/yr for Kano and 348 kwh/m2/yr for Sokoto. The monetary value of the available wind energy was considered as saved energy cost. The saved cost was obtained in terms of the unsubsidized cost of the petrol and diesel that an internal combustion engine (ICE would consume to produce energy equivalent to the available wind energy. At the prevailing interest and inflation rates of 21.96 % and 12.1% respectively, and unsubsidized prices of N 131.32/l and N 140.23/l for petrol and diesel respectively, investment in the wind pump was not found to be economically competitive relative to using a pump with ICE prime mover at the three locations unless the cost of the pump was subsidized. For Sokoto, the estimated subsidy for initial cost of the wind pump required for the investment to be competitive relative to the use of a pump driven by a petrol ICE was 16%. Relative to a pump driven by a diesel ICE, the required subsidy was 24%. The corresponding subsidy estimates for Kano were 48 % and 51 % respectively. For Jos, it was 56% relative to the use of a pump driven by a petrol ICE and 60 % relative to that driven by a diesel ICE. Considering the potential environmental and social and environmental benefits however, subsidy support by government for local manufacturing of the pumps was recommended since shipping cost and custom tariff constituted over 36% of the initial cost of the wind pump.

Analysis of Power Enhancement for a Row of Wind Turbines Using the Actuator Line Technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mikkelsen, Robert; Soerensen, Jens N; Oeye, Stig; Troldborg, Niels

2007-01-01

The effect of wake interaction for a row of three wind turbines in a wind farm is analysed using the actuator line technique. Both full wake and half wake situations are considered with the aim of deriving the optimal pitch setting of the foremost turbine, with respect to the total power from the row. The mutual distance between the turbines is 5 diameters and the turbines are considered to operate in a wind shear with an exponent of 0.15, with the rotor centre located at 1.4 radii from the ground. The main findings reveal clear effects of reducing the loading on the foremost turbine towards increased production of turbine 2 and 3 in a row

Estimating bat and bird mortality occurring at wind energy turbines from covariates and carcass searches using mixture models.

Science.gov (United States)

Korner-Nievergelt, Fränzi; Brinkmann, Robert; Niermann, Ivo; Behr, Oliver

2013-01-01

Environmental impacts of wind energy facilities increasingly cause concern, a central issue being bats and birds killed by rotor blades. Two approaches have been employed to assess collision rates: carcass searches and surveys of animals prone to collisions. Carcass searches can provide an estimate for the actual number of animals being killed but they offer little information on the relation between collision rates and, for example, weather parameters due to the time of death not being precisely known. In contrast, a density index of animals exposed to collision is sufficient to analyse the parameters influencing the collision rate. However, quantification of the collision rate from animal density indices (e.g. acoustic bat activity or bird migration traffic rates) remains difficult. We combine carcass search data with animal density indices in a mixture model to investigate collision rates. In a simulation study we show that the collision rates estimated by our model were at least as precise as conventional estimates based solely on carcass search data. Furthermore, if certain conditions are met, the model can be used to predict the collision rate from density indices alone, without data from carcass searches. This can reduce the time and effort required to estimate collision rates. We applied the model to bat carcass search data obtained at 30 wind turbines in 15 wind facilities in Germany. We used acoustic bat activity and wind speed as predictors for the collision rate. The model estimates correlated well with conventional estimators. Our model can be used to predict the average collision rate. It enables an analysis of the effect of parameters such as rotor diameter or turbine type on the collision rate. The model can also be used in turbine-specific curtailment algorithms that predict the collision rate and reduce this rate with a minimal loss of energy production.

Estimating bat and bird mortality occurring at wind energy turbines from covariates and carcass searches using mixture models.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fränzi Korner-Nievergelt

Full Text Available Environmental impacts of wind energy facilities increasingly cause concern, a central issue being bats and birds killed by rotor blades. Two approaches have been employed to assess collision rates: carcass searches and surveys of animals prone to collisions. Carcass searches can provide an estimate for the actual number of animals being killed but they offer little information on the relation between collision rates and, for example, weather parameters due to the time of death not being precisely known. In contrast, a density index of animals exposed to collision is sufficient to analyse the parameters influencing the collision rate. However, quantification of the collision rate from animal density indices (e.g. acoustic bat activity or bird migration traffic rates remains difficult. We combine carcass search data with animal density indices in a mixture model to investigate collision rates. In a simulation study we show that the collision rates estimated by our model were at least as precise as conventional estimates based solely on carcass search data. Furthermore, if certain conditions are met, the model can be used to predict the collision rate from density indices alone, without data from carcass searches. This can reduce the time and effort required to estimate collision rates. We applied the model to bat carcass search data obtained at 30 wind turbines in 15 wind facilities in Germany. We used acoustic bat activity and wind speed as predictors for the collision rate. The model estimates correlated well with conventional estimators. Our model can be used to predict the average collision rate. It enables an analysis of the effect of parameters such as rotor diameter or turbine type on the collision rate. The model can also be used in turbine-specific curtailment algorithms that predict the collision rate and reduce this rate with a minimal loss of energy production.

Using digital filtering techniques as an aid in wind turbine data analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Young, T. [Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States). BioServe Space Technologies

1994-11-01

Research involving very large sets of digital data is often difficult due to the enormity of the database. In the case of a wind turbine operating under varying environmental conditions, determining which data are representative of the blade aerodynamics and which are due to transient flow ingestion effects or errors in instrumentation, operation, and data collection is of primary concern to researchers. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado collected extensive data on a downwind horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT) during a turbine test project called the Combined Experiment. A principal objective of this experiment was to provide a means to predict HAWT aerodynamic, mechanical, and electrical operational loads based upon analytical models of aerodynamic performance related to blade design and inflow conditions. In a collaborative effort with the Aerospace Engineering Department at the University of Colorado at Boulder, a team of researchers has evolved and utilized various digital filtering techniques in analyzing the data from the Combined Experiment. A preliminary analysis of the data set was performed to determine how to best approach the data. The reduced data set emphasized selection of inflow conditions such that the aerodynamic data could be compared directly to wind tunnel data obtained for the same airfoil design as used for the HAWT`s blades. It will be shown that this reduced data set has yielded valid, reproducible results that a simple averaging technique or a random selection approach cannot achieve. These findings provide a stable baseline against which operational HAWT data can be compared.

Automatic Classification of Offshore Wind Regimes With Weather Radar Observations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Trombe, Pierre-Julien; Pinson, Pierre; Madsen, Henrik

2014-01-01

Weather radar observations are called to play an important role in offshore wind energy. In particular, they can enable the monitoring of weather conditions in the vicinity of large-scale offshore wind farms and thereby notify the arrival of precipitation systems associated with severe wind...... and amplitude) using reflectivity observations from a single weather radar system. A categorical sequence of most likely wind regimes is estimated from a wind speed time series by combining a Markov-Switching model and a global decoding technique, the Viterbi algorithm. In parallel, attributes of precipitation...... systems are extracted from weather radar images. These attributes describe the global intensity, spatial continuity and motion of precipitation echoes on the images. Finally, a CART classification tree is used to find the broad relationships between precipitation attributes and wind regimes...

Impact of Spatial Resolution on Wind Field Derived Estimates of Air Pressure Depression in the Hurricane Eye

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Linwood Jones

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Measurements of the near surface horizontal wind field in a hurricane with spatial resolution of order 1–10 km are possible using airborne microwave radiometer imagers. An assessment is made of the information content of the measured winds as a function of the spatial resolution of the imager. An existing algorithm is used which estimates the maximum surface air pressure depression in the hurricane eye from the maximum wind speed. High resolution numerical model wind fields from Hurricane Frances 2004 are convolved with various HIRAD antenna spatial filters to observe the impact of the antenna design on the central pressure depression in the eye that can be deduced from it.

Analysis of wind energy generation possibilities with various rotor types at disadvantageous wind condition zones

OpenAIRE

Bieniek Andrzej

2017-01-01

The paper describe possibilities of energy generation using various rotor types but especially with multi-blade wind engine operates in the areas with unfavourable wind condition. The paper presents also wind energy conversion estimation results presented based on proposed solution of multi-blade wind turbine of outer diameter of 4 m. Based on the wind distribution histogram from the disadvantage wind condition zones (city of Basel) and taking into account design and estimated operating index...

A novel no-insulation winding technique of high temperature-superconducting racetrack coil for rotating applications: A progress report in Korea university.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Y H; Song, J B; Yang, D G; Kim, Y G; Hahn, S; Lee, H G

2016-10-01

This paper presents our recent progress on core technology development for a megawatt-class superconducting wind turbine generator supported by the international collaborative R&D program of the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning. To outperform the current high-temperature-superconducting (HTS) magnet technology in the wind turbine industry, a novel no-insulation winding technique was first proposed to develop the second-generation HTS racetrack coil for rotating applications. Here, we briefly report our recent studies on no-insulation (NI) winding technique for GdBCO coated conductor racetrack coils in the following areas: (1) Charging-discharging characteristics of no-insulation GdBCO racetrack coils with respect to external pressures applied to straight sections; (2) thermal and electrical stabilities of no-insulation GdBCO racetrack coils encapsulated with various impregnating materials; (3) quench behaviors of no-insulation racetrack coils wound with GdBCO conductor possessing various lamination layers; (4) electromagnetic characteristics of no-insulation GdBCO racetrack coils under time-varying field conditions. Test results confirmed that this novel NI winding technique was highly promising. It could provide development of a compact, mechanically dense, and self-protecting GdBCO magnet for use in real-world superconducting wind turbine generators.

A novel no-insulation winding technique of high temperature-superconducting racetrack coil for rotating applications: A progress report in Korea university

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Y. H.; Song, J. B.; Yang, D. G.; Kim, Y. G.; Hahn, S.; Lee, H. G.

2016-10-01

This paper presents our recent progress on core technology development for a megawatt-class superconducting wind turbine generator supported by the international collaborative R&D program of the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning. To outperform the current high-temperature-superconducting (HTS) magnet technology in the wind turbine industry, a novel no-insulation winding technique was first proposed to develop the second-generation HTS racetrack coil for rotating applications. Here, we briefly report our recent studies on no-insulation (NI) winding technique for GdBCO coated conductor racetrack coils in the following areas: (1) Charging-discharging characteristics of no-insulation GdBCO racetrack coils with respect to external pressures applied to straight sections; (2) thermal and electrical stabilities of no-insulation GdBCO racetrack coils encapsulated with various impregnating materials; (3) quench behaviors of no-insulation racetrack coils wound with GdBCO conductor possessing various lamination layers; (4) electromagnetic characteristics of no-insulation GdBCO racetrack coils under time-varying field conditions. Test results confirmed that this novel NI winding technique was highly promising. It could provide development of a compact, mechanically dense, and self-protecting GdBCO magnet for use in real-world superconducting wind turbine generators.

Estimation of mesospheric vertical winds from a VHF meteor radar at King Sejong Station, Antarctica (62.2S, 58.8W)

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Y.; Lee, C.; Kim, J.; Jee, G.

2013-12-01

For the first time, vertical winds near the mesopause region were estimated from radial velocities of meteor echoes detected by a VHF meteor radar at King Sejong Station (KSS) in 2011 and 2012. Since the radar usually detects more than a hundred echoes every hour in an altitude bin of 88 - 92 km, much larger than other radars, we were able to fit measured radial velocities of these echoes with a 6 component model that consists of horizontal winds, spatial gradients of horizontal winds and vertical wind. The conventional method of deriving horizontal winds from meteor echoes utilizes a 2 component model, assuming that vertical winds and spatial gradients of horizontal winds are negligible. We analyzed the radar data obtained for 8400 hours in 2012 and 8100 hours in 2011. We found that daily mean values of vertical winds are mostly within +/- 1 m/s, whereas those of zonal winds are a few tens m/s mostly eastward. The daily mean vertical winds sometimes stay positive or negative for more than 20 days, implying that the atmosphere near the mesopause experiences episodically a large scale low and high pressure environments, respectively, like the tropospheric weather system. By conducting Lomb-normalized periodogram analysis, we also found that the vertical winds have diurnal, semidiurnal and terdiurnal tidal components with about equal significance, in contrast to horizontal winds that show a dominant semidiurnal one. We will discuss about uncertainties of the estimated vertical wind and possible reasons of its tidal and daily variations.

Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Methodology for Noise Assessment of Wind Turbine

Science.gov (United States)

Shamshirband, Shahaboddin; Petković, Dalibor; Hashim, Roslan; Motamedi, Shervin

2014-01-01

Wind turbine noise is one of the major obstacles for the widespread use of wind energy. Noise tone can greatly increase the annoyance factor and the negative impact on human health. Noise annoyance caused by wind turbines has become an emerging problem in recent years, due to the rapid increase in number of wind turbines, triggered by sustainable energy goals set forward at the national and international level. Up to now, not all aspects of the generation, propagation and perception of wind turbine noise are well understood. For a modern large wind turbine, aerodynamic noise from the blades is generally considered to be the dominant noise source, provided that mechanical noise is adequately eliminated. The sources of aerodynamic noise can be divided into tonal noise, inflow turbulence noise, and airfoil self-noise. Many analytical and experimental acoustical studies performed the wind turbines. Since the wind turbine noise level analyzing by numerical methods or computational fluid dynamics (CFD) could be very challenging and time consuming, soft computing techniques are preferred. To estimate noise level of wind turbine, this paper constructed a process which simulates the wind turbine noise levels in regard to wind speed and sound frequency with adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS). This intelligent estimator is implemented using Matlab/Simulink and the performances are investigated. The simulation results presented in this paper show the effectiveness of the developed method. PMID:25075621

Adaptive neuro-fuzzy methodology for noise assessment of wind turbine.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shahaboddin Shamshirband

Full Text Available Wind turbine noise is one of the major obstacles for the widespread use of wind energy. Noise tone can greatly increase the annoyance factor and the negative impact on human health. Noise annoyance caused by wind turbines has become an emerging problem in recent years, due to the rapid increase in number of wind turbines, triggered by sustainable energy goals set forward at the national and international level. Up to now, not all aspects of the generation, propagation and perception of wind turbine noise are well understood. For a modern large wind turbine, aerodynamic noise from the blades is generally considered to be the dominant noise source, provided that mechanical noise is adequately eliminated. The sources of aerodynamic noise can be divided into tonal noise, inflow turbulence noise, and airfoil self-noise. Many analytical and experimental acoustical studies performed the wind turbines. Since the wind turbine noise level analyzing by numerical methods or computational fluid dynamics (CFD could be very challenging and time consuming, soft computing techniques are preferred. To estimate noise level of wind turbine, this paper constructed a process which simulates the wind turbine noise levels in regard to wind speed and sound frequency with adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS. This intelligent estimator is implemented using Matlab/Simulink and the performances are investigated. The simulation results presented in this paper show the effectiveness of the developed method.

Filament winding technique, experiment and simulation analysis on tubular structure

Science.gov (United States)

Quanjin, Ma; Rejab, M. R. M.; Kaige, Jiang; Idris, M. S.; Harith, M. N.

2018-04-01

Filament winding process has emerged as one of the potential composite fabrication processes with lower costs. Filament wound products involve classic axisymmetric parts (pipes, rings, driveshafts, high-pressure vessels and storage tanks), non-axisymmetric parts (prismatic nonround sections and pipe fittings). Based on the 3-axis filament winding machine has been designed with the inexpensive control system, it is completely necessary to make a relative comparison between experiment and simulation on tubular structure. In this technical paper, the aim of this paper is to perform a dry winding experiment using the 3-axis filament winding machine and simulate winding process on the tubular structure using CADWIND software with 30°, 45°, 60° winding angle. The main result indicates that the 3-axis filament winding machine can produce tubular structure with high winding pattern performance with different winding angle. This developed 3-axis winding machine still has weakness compared to CAWIND software simulation results with high axes winding machine about winding pattern, turnaround impact, process error, thickness, friction impact etc. In conclusion, the 3-axis filament winding machine improvements and recommendations come up with its comparison results, which can intuitively understand its limitations and characteristics.

On wake modeling, wind-farm gradients, and AEP predictions at the Anholt wind farm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Peña

2018-04-01

Full Text Available We investigate wake effects at the Anholt offshore wind farm in Denmark, which is a farm experiencing strong horizontal wind-speed gradients because of its size and proximity to land. Mesoscale model simulations are used to study the horizontal wind-speed gradients over the wind farm. From analysis of the mesoscale simulations and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA, we show that for westerly flow in particular, there is a clear horizontal wind-speed gradient over the wind farm. We also use the mesoscale simulations to derive the undisturbed inflow conditions that are coupled with three commonly used wake models: two engineering approaches (the Park and G. C. Larsen models and a linearized Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes approach (Fuga. The effect of the horizontal wind-speed gradient on annual energy production estimates is not found to be critical compared to estimates from both the average undisturbed wind climate of all turbines' positions and the undisturbed wind climate of a position in the middle of the wind farm. However, annual energy production estimates can largely differ when using wind climates at positions that are strongly influenced by the horizontal wind-speed gradient. When looking at westerly flow wake cases, where the impact of the horizontal wind-speed gradient on the power of the undisturbed turbines is largest, the wake models agree with the SCADA fairly well; when looking at a southerly flow case, where the wake losses are highest, the wake models tend to underestimate the wake loss. With the mesoscale-wake model setup, we are also able to estimate the capacity factor of the wind farm rather well when compared to that derived from the SCADA. Finally, we estimate the uncertainty of the wake models by bootstrapping the SCADA. The models tend to underestimate the wake losses (the median relative model error is 8.75 % and the engineering wake models are as uncertain as Fuga. These results are specific for

Wind turbine noise reduction. An indicative cost estimation; Sanering windturbinegeluid. Een indicatieve raming van kosten

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Verheijen, E.N.G.; Jabben, J.

2011-11-15

Since the 1st of January 2011 new rules apply for wind turbine noise. The rules include a different calculation method and different noise limits, intended for new wind turbines. In order to tackle noise annoyance from existing wind turbines the government is considering to set up a abatement operation, for which a cost estimate is given in this study. At an abatement limit of 47 decibel L{sub den} (Level day-evening-night) approximately 450 dwellings would be eligible for noise remediation. The costs of this operation are estimated at 4.9 million euro. However, in many of these cases the wind turbine is probably owned by the respective residents. It is possible that public funds for noise remediation will not be allocated to the owners of dwellings that directly profit from the turbines. If these cases are excluded, the abatement operation would cover 165 to 275 dwellings with estimated costs for remediation of 1.6 to 2.6 million euro. A tentative cost-benefit analysis suggests that noise remediation will be cost effective in most situations. This means that the benefits of reduced annoyance or sleep disturbance are in balance with the cost of remediation. Only for the small group of wind turbines that are in use for over fifteen years, remediation will not be cost effective. These wind turbines are nearing the end of their lifespan and are therefore ignored in the above estimates. [Dutch] Sinds 1 januari 2011 zijn nieuwe regels rond windturbinegeluid van kracht. Bij de nieuwe regelgeving hoort een andere berekeningsmethode en normstelling, bedoeld voor nieuw te plaatsen windturbines. Voor de aanpak van de geluidhinder door bestaande windturbines overweegt de overheid een saneringsoperatie op te zetten, waarvoor in dit onderzoek een kostenraming wordt gegeven. Bij een saneringsgrenswaarde van 47 decibel zouden ongeveer 450 woningen voor sanering in aanmerking komen. De kosten voor sanering daarvan worden geschat op 4,9 miljoen euro. Bij een groot deel van deze

Modeling and Simulation of Voids in Composite Tape Winding Process Based on Domain Superposition Technique

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Bo; Shi, Yaoyao

2017-11-01

The tape winding technology is an effective way to fabricate rotationally composite materials. Nevertheless, some inevitable defects will seriously influence the performance of winding products. One of the crucial ways to identify the quality of fiber-reinforced composite material products is examining its void content. Significant improvement in products' mechanical properties can be achieved by minimizing the void defect. Two methods were applied in this study, finite element analysis and experimental testing, respectively, to investigate the mechanism of how void forming in composite tape winding processing. Based on the theories of interlayer intimate contact and Domain Superposition Technique (DST), a three-dimensional model of prepreg tape void with SolidWorks has been modeled in this paper. Whereafter, ABAQUS simulation software was used to simulate the void content change with pressure and temperature. Finally, a series of experiments were performed to determine the accuracy of the model-based predictions. The results showed that the model is effective for predicting the void content in the composite tape winding process.

UpWind D1. Uncertainties in wind assessment with LIDAR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lindeloew-Marsden, P.

2009-01-15

In this report sources influencing wind assessments with lidars are listed and discussed. Comparisons with mast mounted cup anemometers are presented and the magnitudes of the errors from the listed error sources are estimated. Finally an attempt to define uncertainty windows for the current state of the two commercial wind sensing lidars is presented. The results in this report give important feedback on system improvements to manufacturers and an estimation of the current ability for wind farm developers which are potential users. (author)

Estimating Mixing Heights Using Microwave Temperature Profiler

Science.gov (United States)

Nielson-Gammon, John; Powell, Christina; Mahoney, Michael; Angevine, Wayne

2008-01-01

A paper describes the Microwave Temperature Profiler (MTP) for making measurements of the planetary boundary layer thermal structure data necessary for air quality forecasting as the Mixing Layer (ML) height determines the volume in which daytime pollution is primarily concentrated. This is the first time that an airborne temperature profiler has been used to measure the mixing layer height. Normally, this is done using a radar wind profiler, which is both noisy and large. The MTP was deployed during the Texas 2000 Air Quality Study (TexAQS-2000). An objective technique was developed and tested for estimating the ML height from the MTP vertical temperature profiles. In order to calibrate the technique and evaluate the usefulness of this approach, estimates from a variety of measurements during the TexAQS-2000 were compared. Estimates of ML height were used from radiosondes, radar wind profilers, an aerosol backscatter lidar, and in-situ aircraft measurements in addition to those from the MTP.

Quantitative CT: technique dependence of volume estimation on pulmonary nodules

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Baiyu; Barnhart, Huiman; Richard, Samuel; Colsher, James; Amurao, Maxwell; Samei, Ehsan

2012-03-01

Current estimation of lung nodule size typically relies on uni- or bi-dimensional techniques. While new three-dimensional volume estimation techniques using MDCT have improved size estimation of nodules with irregular shapes, the effect of acquisition and reconstruction parameters on accuracy (bias) and precision (variance) of the new techniques has not been fully investigated. To characterize the volume estimation performance dependence on these parameters, an anthropomorphic chest phantom containing synthetic nodules was scanned and reconstructed with protocols across various acquisition and reconstruction parameters. Nodule volumes were estimated by a clinical lung analysis software package, LungVCAR. Precision and accuracy of the volume assessment were calculated across the nodules and compared between protocols via a generalized estimating equation analysis. Results showed that the precision and accuracy of nodule volume quantifications were dependent on slice thickness, with different dependences for different nodule characteristics. Other parameters including kVp, pitch, and reconstruction kernel had lower impact. Determining these technique dependences enables better volume quantification via protocol optimization and highlights the importance of consistent imaging parameters in sequential examinations.

The use of wind tunnel facilities to estimate hydrodynamic data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hoffmann Kristoffer

2016-01-01

In a series of measurements, wind tunnel testing has been used to investigate the static response characteristics of a circular and a rectangular section model. Motivated by the wish to estimate the vortex-induced in-line vibration characteristics of a neutrally buoyant submerged marine structure, additional measurements on extremely lightweight, helium-filled circular section models were conducted in a dynamic setup. During the experiment campaign, the mass of the model was varied in order to investigate how the mass ratio influences the vibration amplitude. The results show good agreement with both aerodynamic and hydrodynamic experimental results documented in the literature.

UAV State Estimation Modeling Techniques in AHRS

Science.gov (United States)

Razali, Shikin; Zhahir, Amzari

2017-11-01

Autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system is depending on state estimation feedback to control flight operation. Estimation on the correct state improves navigation accuracy and achieves flight mission safely. One of the sensors configuration used in UAV state is Attitude Heading and Reference System (AHRS) with application of Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) or feedback controller. The results of these two different techniques in estimating UAV states in AHRS configuration are displayed through position and attitude graphs.

Mongolia wind resource assessment project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elliott, D.; Chadraa, B.; Natsagdorj, L.

1998-01-01

The development of detailed, regional wind-resource distributions and other pertinent wind resource characteristics (e.g., assessment maps and reliable estimates of seasonal, diurnal, and directional) is an important step in planning and accelerating the deployment of wind energy systems. This paper summarizes the approach and methods being used to conduct a wind energy resource assessment of Mongolia. The primary goals of this project are to develop a comprehensive wind energy resource atlas of Mongolia and to establish a wind measurement program in specific regions of Mongolia to identify prospective sites for wind energy projects and to help validate some of the wind resource estimates. The Mongolian wind resource atlas will include detailed, computerized wind power maps and other valuable wind resource characteristic information for the different regions of Mongolia

Estimation of dew point temperature using neuro-fuzzy and neural network techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Kisi, Ozgur; Kim, Sungwon; Shiri, Jalal

2013-11-01

This study investigates the ability of two different artificial neural network (ANN) models, generalized regression neural networks model (GRNNM) and Kohonen self-organizing feature maps neural networks model (KSOFM), and two different adaptive neural fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) models, ANFIS model with sub-clustering identification (ANFIS-SC) and ANFIS model with grid partitioning identification (ANFIS-GP), for estimating daily dew point temperature. The climatic data that consisted of 8 years of daily records of air temperature, sunshine hours, wind speed, saturation vapor pressure, relative humidity, and dew point temperature from three weather stations, Daego, Pohang, and Ulsan, in South Korea were used in the study. The estimates of ANN and ANFIS models were compared according to the three different statistics, root mean square errors, mean absolute errors, and determination coefficient. Comparison results revealed that the ANFIS-SC, ANFIS-GP, and GRNNM models showed almost the same accuracy and they performed better than the KSOFM model. Results also indicated that the sunshine hours, wind speed, and saturation vapor pressure have little effect on dew point temperature. It was found that the dew point temperature could be successfully estimated by using T mean and R H variables.

SAT-WIND project. Final report[Winds from satellites for offshore and coastal wind energy mapping and wind-indexing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hasager, C.B.; Astrup, P.; Nielsen, M. (and others)

2007-04-15

The SAT-WIND project 'Winds from satellites for offshore and coastal wind energy mapping and wind-indexing' was a research project funded by STVF/DSF in the years 2003 to 2006 (Sagsnr. 2058-03-0006). The goal of the project was to verify the applicability of satellite wind maps derived from passive microwave, altimeter, scatterometer and imaging Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) technologies for wind energy tools for wind resources and wind-indexing. The study area was the Danish Seas including the North Sea, interior seas and the Baltic Sea. The report describes technical details on the satellite data sources including: 1) passive microwave (SSM/I, AMSR-E), 2) passive microwave polarimetric (WindSat), 3) scatterometer (ERS, QuikSCAT, Midori-2 and NSCAT), 4) altimeter (ERS, Topex, Poseidon, GFO-1, Jason-1), 5) SAR (ERS, Envisat). The SAR wind maps were treated in S-WAsP developed by Risoe National Laboratory in cooperation with GRAS A/S in the innovative project SAT-WIND-SMV (Sagsnr. 2104-05-0084) in the years 2005 and 2006 in parallel with SAT-WIND. The results from the SAT-WIND project are presented. These include ocean wind statistics, offshore wind resource estimates and comparison results for wind-indexing. (au)

SAT-WIND project. Final report[Winds from satellites for offshore and coastal wind energy mapping and wind-indexing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hasager, C B; Astrup, P; Nielsen, M [and others

2007-04-15

The SAT-WIND project 'Winds from satellites for offshore and coastal wind energy mapping and wind-indexing' was a research project funded by STVF/DSF in the years 2003 to 2006 (Sagsnr. 2058-03-0006). The goal of the project was to verify the applicability of satellite wind maps derived from passive microwave, altimeter, scatterometer and imaging Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) technologies for wind energy tools for wind resources and wind-indexing. The study area was the Danish Seas including the North Sea, interior seas and the Baltic Sea. The report describes technical details on the satellite data sources including: 1) passive microwave (SSM/I, AMSR-E), 2) passive microwave polarimetric (WindSat), 3) scatterometer (ERS, QuikSCAT, Midori-2 and NSCAT), 4) altimeter (ERS, Topex, Poseidon, GFO-1, Jason-1), 5) SAR (ERS, Envisat). The SAR wind maps were treated in S-WAsP developed by Risoe National Laboratory in cooperation with GRAS A/S in the innovative project SAT-WIND-SMV (Sagsnr. 2104-05-0084) in the years 2005 and 2006 in parallel with SAT-WIND. The results from the SAT-WIND project are presented. These include ocean wind statistics, offshore wind resource estimates and comparison results for wind-indexing. (au)

Scour depth estimation using an equation based on wind tunnel experiments

OpenAIRE

Tsutsui Takayuki

2016-01-01

Scour is the result of degradation and aggradation by wind or moving fluid in the front and back of a pole standing in sand, respectively, and is often observed at the bottom of bridge piers in rivers. In this study, we propose a method of estimating the scour depth around a cylindrical structure standing in sand. The relationships among the depth of the scour, the aspect ratio of the structure (= height/diameter), the fluid velocity, and the sand properties (particle size and density) were d...

Gain-scheduled Linear Quadratic Control of Wind Turbines Operating at High Wind Speed

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Østergaard, Kasper Zinck; Stoustrup, Jakob; Brath, Per

2007-01-01

This paper addresses state estimation and linear quadratic (LQ) control of variable speed variable pitch wind turbines. On the basis of a nonlinear model of a wind turbine, a set of operating conditions is identified and a LQ controller is designed for each operating point. The controller gains...... are then interpolated linearly to get a control law for the entire operating envelope. A nonlinear state estimator is designed as a combination of two unscented Kalman filters and a linear disturbance estimator. The gain-scheduling variable (wind speed) is then calculated from the output of these state estimators...

Preliminary design of offshore wind turbine support structures : The importance of proper mode shape estimation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van der Male, P.

2013-01-01

Offshore wind turbines are highly exposed to timevarying loads. For support structures, estimation of the fatigue damage during the lifetime of the structure is an essential design aspect. This already applies for the preliminary design stage. In determining the dynamic amplification in the

When is enough, enough? Identifying predictors of capacity estimates for onshore wind-power development in a region of the UK

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jones, Christopher R., E-mail: c.r.jones@shef.ac.uk [Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TP (United Kingdom); Orr, Barry J.; Eiser, J. Richard [Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TP (United Kingdom)

2011-08-15

The level of 'wind-prospecting' presently occurring in the UK is increasing the likelihood that new wind-power developments will conflict with other existing and/or proposed schemes. This study reports multiple-regression analyses performed on survey data obtained in a region of the UK (i.e. Humberhead Levels, near Doncaster) simultaneously subject to nine wind-farm proposals (September 2008). The aim of the analysis was to identify which survey-items were predictors of respondents' estimates of the number of wind turbines they believed the region could reasonably support (i.e. capacity estimates). The results revealed that the majority of respondents would endorse some local development; however, there was substantial variability in the upper level that was considered acceptable. Prominent predictors included general attitude, perceived knowledge of wind power, community attachment, environmental values, visual attractiveness of wind turbines, and issues relating to perceived fairness and equity. The results have implications for Cumulative Effects Assessment (CEA) - and in particular the assessment of Cumulative Landscape and Visual Impacts (CLVI) - and support calls for greater community involvement in decisions regarding proposed schemes. - Highlights: > Research seeks to identify predictors of the scale of local wind development people will tolerate. > Research conducted in region of the UK subject to nine wind-farm applications (2008). > Predictors found to include issues of perceived fairness and equity. > Results hold implications for cumulative effects assessment and development practices.

When is enough, enough? Identifying predictors of capacity estimates for onshore wind-power development in a region of the UK

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jones, Christopher R.; Orr, Barry J.; Eiser, J. Richard

2011-01-01

The level of 'wind-prospecting' presently occurring in the UK is increasing the likelihood that new wind-power developments will conflict with other existing and/or proposed schemes. This study reports multiple-regression analyses performed on survey data obtained in a region of the UK (i.e. Humberhead Levels, near Doncaster) simultaneously subject to nine wind-farm proposals (September 2008). The aim of the analysis was to identify which survey-items were predictors of respondents' estimates of the number of wind turbines they believed the region could reasonably support (i.e. capacity estimates). The results revealed that the majority of respondents would endorse some local development; however, there was substantial variability in the upper level that was considered acceptable. Prominent predictors included general attitude, perceived knowledge of wind power, community attachment, environmental values, visual attractiveness of wind turbines, and issues relating to perceived fairness and equity. The results have implications for Cumulative Effects Assessment (CEA) - and in particular the assessment of Cumulative Landscape and Visual Impacts (CLVI) - and support calls for greater community involvement in decisions regarding proposed schemes. - Highlights: → Research seeks to identify predictors of the scale of local wind development people will tolerate. → Research conducted in region of the UK subject to nine wind-farm applications (2008). → Predictors found to include issues of perceived fairness and equity. → Results hold implications for cumulative effects assessment and development practices.

An Adaptive Frequency Strategy for Variable Speed Wind Turbines: Application to High Wind Integration Into Power Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Fernández-Guillamón

2018-06-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a new frequency controller for variable speed wind turbines connected to the grid under power imbalance conditions. It is based on the fast power reserve emulation technique, having two different operation modes: overproduction and recovery mode. In the first mode, the active power provided by wind turbines is set over the mechanical power, reducing their rotational speed. This overproduction power is estimated according to the frequency excursion. In the second mode, the active power is established under the mechanical power to recover the initial rotational speed through a smooth trajectory. The power system considered for simulation purposes includes thermal, hydro-power and wind-power plants. The controller proposed has been evaluated under different mix-generation scenarios implemented in Matlab/Simulink. Extensive results and comparison to previous proposals are also included in the paper.

Three-Dimensional Wind Profiling of Offshore Wind Energy Areas With Airborne Doppler Lidar

Science.gov (United States)

Koch, Grady J.; Beyon, Jeffrey Y.; Cowen, Larry J.; Kavaya, Michael J.; Grant, Michael S.

2014-01-01

A technique has been developed for imaging the wind field over offshore areas being considered for wind farming. This is accomplished with an eye-safe 2-micrometer wavelength coherent Doppler lidar installed in an aircraft. By raster scanning the aircraft over the wind energy area (WEA), a three-dimensional map of the wind vector can be made. This technique was evaluated in 11 flights over the Virginia and Maryland offshore WEAs. Heights above the ocean surface planned for wind turbines are shown to be within the marine boundary layer, and the wind vector is seen to show variation across the geographical area of interest at turbine heights.

A survey on OFDM channel estimation techniques based on denoising strategies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pallaviram Sure

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Channel estimation forms the heart of any orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM based wireless communication receiver. Frequency domain pilot aided channel estimation techniques are either least squares (LS based or minimum mean square error (MMSE based. LS based techniques are computationally less complex. Unlike MMSE ones, they do not require a priori knowledge of channel statistics (KCS. However, the mean square error (MSE performance of the channel estimator incorporating MMSE based techniques is better compared to that obtained with the incorporation of LS based techniques. To enhance the MSE performance using LS based techniques, a variety of denoising strategies have been developed in the literature, which are applied on the LS estimated channel impulse response (CIR. The advantage of denoising threshold based LS techniques is that, they do not require KCS but still render near optimal MMSE performance similar to MMSE based techniques. In this paper, a detailed survey on various existing denoising strategies, with a comparative discussion of these strategies is presented.

Investigation of the Promotion of Wind Power Consumption Using the Thermal-Electric Decoupling Techniques

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shuang Rong

2015-08-01

Full Text Available In the provinces of north China, combined heat and electric power generations (CHP are widely utilized to provide both heating source and electricity. While, due to the constraint of thermal-electric coupling within CHP, a mass of wind turbines have to offline operate during heating season to maintain the power grid stability. This paper proposes a thermal-electric decoupling (TED approach to release the energy waste. Within the thermal-electric decoupling system, heat storage and electric boiler/heat pump are introduced to provide an auxiliary thermal source during hard peak shaving period, thus relying on the participation of an outside heat source, the artificial electric power output change interval could be widened to adopt more wind power and reduce wind power curtailment. Both mathematic models and methods are proposed to calculate the evaluation indexes to weight the effect of TED, by using the Monte Carlo simulation technique. Numerical simulations have been conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods, and the results show that the proposed approach could relieve up to approximately 90% of wind power curtailment and the ability of power system to accommodate wind power could be promoted about 32%; moreover, the heating source is extended, about 300 GJ heat could be supplied by TED during the whole heating season, which accounts for about 18% of the total heat need.

[Estimation of the effect derived from wind erosion of soil and dust emission in Tianjin suburbs on the central district based on WEPS model].

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Li; Han, Ting-Ting; Li, Tao; Ji, Ya-Qin; Bai, Zhi-Peng; Wang, Bin

2012-07-01

Due to the lack of a prediction model for current wind erosion in China and the slow development for such models, this study aims to predict the wind erosion of soil and the dust emission and develop a prediction model for wind erosion in Tianjin by investigating the structure, parameter systems and the relationships among the parameter systems of the prediction models for wind erosion in typical areas, using the U.S. wind erosion prediction system (WEPS) as reference. Based on the remote sensing technique and the test data, a parameter system was established for the prediction model of wind erosion and dust emission, and a model was developed that was suitable for the prediction of wind erosion and dust emission in Tianjin. Tianjin was divided into 11 080 blocks with a resolution of 1 x 1 km2, among which 7 778 dust emitting blocks were selected. The parameters of the blocks were localized, including longitude, latitude, elevation and direction, etc.. The database files of blocks were localized, including wind file, climate file, soil file and management file. The weps. run file was edited. Based on Microsoft Visualstudio 2008, secondary development was done using C + + language, and the dust fluxes of 7 778 blocks were estimated, including creep and saltation fluxes, suspension fluxes and PM10 fluxes. Based on the parameters of wind tunnel experiments in Inner Mongolia, the soil measurement data and climate data in suburbs of Tianjin, the wind erosion module, wind erosion fluxes, dust emission release modulus and dust release fluxes were calculated for the four seasons and the whole year in suburbs of Tianjin. In 2009, the total creep and saltation fluxes, suspension fluxes and PM10 fluxes in the suburbs of Tianjin were 2.54 x 10(6) t, 1.25 x 10(7) t and 9.04 x 10(5) t, respectively, among which, the parts pointing to the central district were 5.61 x 10(5) t, 2.89 x 10(6) t and 2.03 x 10(5) t, respectively.

Pose and Wind Estimation for Autonomous Parafoils

Science.gov (United States)

2014-09-01

Precision Airdrop System LIDAR light detection and ranging LOP line of position MCADS Maritime Craft Air Delivery System MEMS micro-electro-mechanical...least squares SLAM simultaneous localization and mapping SPS standard positioning service TIP Turn Initiation Point TMA target motion analysis TNT...improvements and further testing on the WindPack [45]. Most recently, Herrmann proposed the use of a ground-based lidar wind measurement system to transmit

Maintaining stability of standalone Micro-Grid by employing electrical and mechanical fault ride through techniques upon fixed speed wind generation systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kamel, Rashad M.

2013-01-01

Highlights: • This paper presented two fault ride through techniques for fixed speed wind systems. • The first technique is implemented by inserting a series resistance with the terminals of wind generator. • Second technique is performed by adapting the gear ratio to spill some mechanical power. - Abstract: This study presents two different Fault Ride Through (FRT) techniques to keep and restore stability of Fixed Speed Wind Generation system (FSWGs) installed in standalone Micro-Grid (MG). The first technique is an electrical FRT and is implemented by inserting a series resistance with the terminals of FSWGs during fault to maintain reasonable value of terminal voltage and consequently help stability restoration. The second controller is a mechanical FRT controller and is performed by change the gear ratio of wind generation systems to spill part of extracted mechanical power and consequently improving stability issue. Obtained results proved that each controller able to maintain the stability of FSWGs under the most severe disturbance conditions (400 ms three phase fault at FSWGs terminals). The first controller is faster than the second controller in restoring FSWGs stability. Superior results and performances are obtained when the two FRT techniques are employed simultaneously. Without employing any one of the two FRT techniques, FSWGs is not able to maintain or restore its stability after fault clearing. Consequently, MG will lose one of its micro-sources and cannot keep its stability during the standalone mode, unless load shedding strategy is activated. The two proposed controllers are simple, effective, and economical attractive

Design Mining Interacting Wind Turbines.

Science.gov (United States)

Preen, Richard J; Bull, Larry

2016-01-01

An initial study has recently been presented of surrogate-assisted evolutionary algorithms used to design vertical-axis wind turbines wherein candidate prototypes are evaluated under fan-generated wind conditions after being physically instantiated by a 3D printer. Unlike other approaches, such as computational fluid dynamics simulations, no mathematical formulations were used and no model assumptions were made. This paper extends that work by exploring alternative surrogate modelling and evolutionary techniques. The accuracy of various modelling algorithms used to estimate the fitness of evaluated individuals from the initial experiments is compared. The effect of temporally windowing surrogate model training samples is explored. A surrogate-assisted approach based on an enhanced local search is introduced; and alternative coevolution collaboration schemes are examined.

Wind Turbine Generator System Acoustic Noise Test Report for the Gaia Wind 11-kW Wind Turbine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huskey, A.

2011-11-01

This report details the acoustic noise test conducted on the Gaia-Wind 11-kW wind turbine at the National Wind Technology Center. The test turbine is a two- bladed, downwind wind turbine with a rated power of 11 kW. The test turbine was tested in accordance with the International Electrotechnical Commission standard, IEC 61400-11 Ed 2.1 2006-11 Wind Turbine Generator Systems -- Part 11 Acoustic Noise Measurement Techniques.

Benefits of an ultra large and multiresolution ensemble for estimating available wind power

Science.gov (United States)

Berndt, Jonas; Hoppe, Charlotte; Elbern, Hendrik

2016-04-01

In this study we investigate the benefits of an ultra large ensemble with up to 1000 members including multiple nesting with a target horizontal resolution of 1 km. The ensemble shall be used as a basis to detect events of extreme errors in wind power forecasting. Forecast value is the wind vector at wind turbine hub height (~ 100 m) in the short range (1 to 24 hour). Current wind power forecast systems rest already on NWP ensemble models. However, only calibrated ensembles from meteorological institutions serve as input so far, with limited spatial resolution (˜10 - 80 km) and member number (˜ 50). Perturbations related to the specific merits of wind power production are yet missing. Thus, single extreme error events which are not detected by such ensemble power forecasts occur infrequently. The numerical forecast model used in this study is the Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF). Model uncertainties are represented by stochastic parametrization of sub-grid processes via stochastically perturbed parametrization tendencies and in conjunction via the complementary stochastic kinetic-energy backscatter scheme already provided by WRF. We perform continuous ensemble updates by comparing each ensemble member with available observations using a sequential importance resampling filter to improve the model accuracy while maintaining ensemble spread. Additionally, we use different ensemble systems from global models (ECMWF and GFS) as input and boundary conditions to capture different synoptic conditions. Critical weather situations which are connected to extreme error events are located and corresponding perturbation techniques are applied. The demanding computational effort is overcome by utilising the supercomputer JUQUEEN at the Forschungszentrum Juelich.

Wind energy development: Methods to assess bird and bat fatality rates post-construction

Science.gov (United States)

Huso, Manuela; Dalthorp, Daniel; Miller, T J; Bruns, Dawn

2016-01-01

Monitoring fatalities at wind energy facilities after they have been constructed can provide valuable information regarding impacts of wind power development on wildlife. The objective of this monitoring is to estimate abundance of a super-population of carcasses that entered the area within a designated period of time. By definition, the population is not closed and carcasses can enter as they are killed through collision with turbines, and leave as they are removed by scavengers or decompose to a point where they are not recognizable. In addition, the population is not inherently mobile, but can only change location through some external force. A focus on number of animal carcasses comprising the super-population, combined with peculiar traits that resist classic assumptions, distinguish fatality estimation at wind-power facilities from more classic abundance estimates that can be addressed through mark-recapture techniques or other well-known abundance estimators. We review the available methods to estimate the super-population of carcasses at wind power facilities. We discuss the role of these estimates in determining appropriate levels of minimization and mitigation of impacts to individual species of concern. We discuss the potential to extrapolate these measurements to reflect the cumulative effect of the industry on individual species. Finally, we suggest avenues of research needed to strengthen our understanding of the effect wind power development has, and might have in the future, on wildlife on this continent and worldwide.

Wind turbine wake visualization and characteristics analysis by Doppler lidar.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Songhua; Liu, Bingyi; Liu, Jintao; Zhai, Xiaochun; Feng, Changzhong; Wang, Guining; Zhang, Hongwei; Yin, Jiaping; Wang, Xitao; Li, Rongzhong; Gallacher, Daniel

2016-05-16

Wind power generation is growing fast as one of the most promising renewable energy sources that can serve as an alternative to fossil fuel-generated electricity. When the wind turbine generator (WTG) extracts power from the wind, the wake evolves and leads to a considerable reduction in the efficiency of the actual power generation. Furthermore, the wake effect can lead to the increase of turbulence induced fatigue loads that reduce the life time of WTGs. In this work, a pulsed coherent Doppler lidar (PCDL) has been developed and deployed to visualize wind turbine wakes and to characterize the geometry and dynamics of wakes. As compared with the commercial off-the-shelf coherent lidars, the PCDL in this work has higher updating rate of 4 Hz and variable physical spatial resolution from 15 to 60 m, which improves its capability to observation the instantaneous turbulent wind field. The wind speed estimation method from the arc scan technique was evaluated in comparison with wind mast measurements. Field experiments were performed to study the turbulent wind field in the vicinity of operating WTGs in the onshore and offshore wind parks from 2013 to 2015. Techniques based on a single and a dual Doppler lidar were employed for elucidating main features of turbine wakes, including wind velocity deficit, wake dimension, velocity profile, 2D wind vector with resolution of 10 m, turbulence dissipation rate and turbulence intensity under different conditions of surface roughness. The paper shows that the PCDL is a practical tool for wind energy research and will provide a significant basis for wind farm site selection, design and optimization.

Stochastic Prediction of Wind Generating Resources Using the Enhanced Ensemble Model for Jeju Island’s Wind Farms in South Korea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Deockho Kim

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Due to the intermittency of wind power generation, it is very hard to manage its system operation and planning. In order to incorporate higher wind power penetrations into power systems that maintain secure and economic power system operation, an accurate and efficient estimation of wind power outputs is needed. In this paper, we propose the stochastic prediction of wind generating resources using an enhanced ensemble model for Jeju Island’s wind farms in South Korea. When selecting the potential sites of wind farms, wind speed data at points of interest are not always available. We apply the Kriging method, which is one of spatial interpolation, to estimate wind speed at potential sites. We also consider a wind profile power law to correct wind speed along the turbine height and terrain characteristics. After that, we used estimated wind speed data to calculate wind power output and select the best wind farm sites using a Weibull distribution. Probability density function (PDF or cumulative density function (CDF is used to estimate the probability of wind speed. The wind speed data is classified along the manufacturer’s power curve data. Therefore, the probability of wind speed is also given in accordance with classified values. The average wind power output is estimated in the form of a confidence interval. The empirical data of meteorological towers from Jeju Island in Korea is used to interpolate the wind speed data spatially at potential sites. Finally, we propose the best wind farm site among the four potential wind farm sites.

Uncertainty quantification in wind farm flow models

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Murcia Leon, Juan Pablo

uncertainties through a model chain are presented and applied to several wind energy related problems such as: annual energy production estimation, wind turbine power curve estimation, wake model calibration and validation, and estimation of lifetime equivalent fatigue loads on a wind turbine. Statistical...

Wind power soars

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Flavin, C. [Worldwatch Inst., Washington, DC (United States)

1996-12-31

Opinions on the world market for wind power are presented in this paper. Some data for global wind power generating capacity are provided. European and other markets are discussed individually. Estimated potential for wind power is given for a number of countries. 3 figs.

Power system dynamic state estimation using prediction based evolutionary technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Basetti, Vedik; Chandel, Ashwani K.; Chandel, Rajeevan

2016-01-01

In this paper, a new robust LWS (least winsorized square) estimator is proposed for dynamic state estimation of a power system. One of the main advantages of this estimator is that it has an inbuilt bad data rejection property and is less sensitive to bad data measurements. In the proposed approach, Brown's double exponential smoothing technique has been utilised for its reliable performance at the prediction step. The state estimation problem is solved as an optimisation problem using a new jDE-self adaptive differential evolution with prediction based population re-initialisation technique at the filtering step. This new stochastic search technique has been embedded with different state scenarios using the predicted state. The effectiveness of the proposed LWS technique is validated under different conditions, namely normal operation, bad data, sudden load change, and loss of transmission line conditions on three different IEEE test bus systems. The performance of the proposed approach is compared with the conventional extended Kalman filter. On the basis of various performance indices, the results thus obtained show that the proposed technique increases the accuracy and robustness of power system dynamic state estimation performance. - Highlights: • To estimate the states of the power system under dynamic environment. • The performance of the EKF method is degraded during anomaly conditions. • The proposed method remains robust towards anomalies. • The proposed method provides precise state estimates even in the presence of anomalies. • The results show that prediction accuracy is enhanced by using the proposed model.

Assessing high wind energy penetration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tande, J.O.

1995-01-01

In order to convincingly promote installing wind power capacity as a substantial part of the energy supply system, a set of careful analyses must be undertaken. This paper applies a case study concentrated on assessing the cost/benefit of high wind energy penetration. The case study considers...... expanding the grid connected wind power capacity in Praia, the capital of Cape Verde. The currently installed 1 MW of wind power is estimated to supply close to 10% of the electric energy consumption in 1996. Increasing the wind energy penetration to a higher level is considered viable as the project...... with the existing wind power, supply over 30% of the electric consumption in 1996. Applying the recommended practices for estimating the cost of wind energy, the life-cycle cost of this 2.4 MW investment is estimated at a 7% discount rate and a 20 year lifetime to 0.26 DKK/kW h....

COMPARISON OF RECURSIVE ESTIMATION TECHNIQUES FOR POSITION TRACKING RADIOACTIVE SOURCES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muske, K.; Howse, J.

2000-01-01

This paper compares the performance of recursive state estimation techniques for tracking the physical location of a radioactive source within a room based on radiation measurements obtained from a series of detectors at fixed locations. Specifically, the extended Kalman filter, algebraic observer, and nonlinear least squares techniques are investigated. The results of this study indicate that recursive least squares estimation significantly outperforms the other techniques due to the severe model nonlinearity

Evaluation of wind farm efficiency and wind turbine wakes at the Nysted offshore wind farm

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Barthelmie, Rebecca Jane; Jensen, L.E.

2010-01-01

Here, we quantify relationships between wind farm efficiency and wind speed, direction, turbulence and atmospheric stability using power output from the large offshore wind farm at Nysted in Denmark. Wake losses are, as expected, most strongly related to wind speed variations through the turbine...... thrust coefficient; with direction, atmospheric stability and turbulence as important second order effects. While the wind farm efficiency is highly dependent on the distribution of wind speeds and wind direction, it is shown that the impact of turbine spacing on wake losses and turbine efficiency can...... be quantified, albeit with relatively large uncertainty due to stochastic effects in the data. There is evidence of the ‘deep array effect’ in that wake losses in the centre of the wind farm are under-estimated by the wind farm model WAsP, although overall efficiency of the wind farm is well predicted due...

Wind power planning: assessing long-term costs and benefits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kennedy, Scott

2005-01-01

In the following paper, a new and straightforward technique for estimating the social benefit of large-scale wind power production is presented. The social benefit is based upon wind power's energy and capacity services and the avoidance of environmental damages. The approach uses probabilistic load duration curves to account for the stochastic interaction between wind power availability, electricity demand, and conventional generator dispatch. The model is applied to potential offshore wind power development to the south of Long Island, NY. If natural gas combined cycle and integrated gasifier combined cycle (IGCC) are the alternative generation sources, wind power exhibits a negative social benefit due to its high capacity cost and the relatively low emissions of these advanced fossil-fuel technologies. Environmental benefits increase significantly if charges for CO 2 emissions are included. Results also reveal a diminishing social benefit as wind power penetration increases. The dependence of wind power benefits on CO 2 charges, and capital costs for wind turbines and IGCC plant is also discussed. The methodology is intended for use by energy planners in assessing the social benefit of future investments in wind power

Assessing high wind energy penetration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tande, J.O.

1995-01-01

In order to convincingly promote installing wind power capacity as a substantial part of the energy supply system, a set of careful analyses must be undertaken. This paper applies a case study concentrated on assessing the cost/benefit of high wind energy penetration. The case study considers expanding the grid connected wind power capacity in Praia, the capital of Cape Verde. The currently installed 1 MW of wind power is estimated to supply close to 10% of the electric energy consumption in 1996. Increasing the wind energy penetration to a higher level is considered viable as the project settings are close to ideal, including a very capable national utility company, Electra, a conventional power supply system based on imported heavy fuel and gas oil, and favourable wind conditions with an estimated annual average of 9.3 m/s at the hub height of the wind turbines. With the applied case study assumptions, simulations with WINSYS over the lifetime of the assessed wind power investment show that investments up to 4.2 MW are economically viable. The economic optimum is found at 2.4 MW reaching an internal rate of return of almost 8% p.a. This 2.4 MW of wind power would, together with the existing wind power, supply over 30% of the electric consumption in 1996. Applying the recommended practices for estimating the cost of wind energy, the life-cycle cost of this 2.4 MW investment is estimated at a 7% discount rate and a 20 year lifetime to 0.26 DKK/kW h. (Author)

Wireless Concrete Strength Monitoring of Wind Turbine Foundations.

Science.gov (United States)

Perry, Marcus; Fusiek, Grzegorz; Niewczas, Pawel; Rubert, Tim; McAlorum, Jack

2017-12-16

Wind turbine foundations are typically cast in place, leaving the concrete to mature under environmental conditions that vary in time and space. As a result, there is uncertainty around the concrete's initial performance, and this can encourage both costly over-design and inaccurate prognoses of structural health. Here, we demonstrate the field application of a dense, wireless thermocouple network to monitor the strength development of an onshore, reinforced-concrete wind turbine foundation. Up-to-date methods in fly ash concrete strength and maturity modelling are used to estimate the distribution and evolution of foundation strength over 29 days of curing. Strength estimates are verified by core samples, extracted from the foundation base. In addition, an artificial neural network, trained using temperature data, is exploited to demonstrate that distributed concrete strengths can be estimated for foundations using only sparse thermocouple data. Our techniques provide a practical alternative to computational models, and could assist site operators in making more informed decisions about foundation design, construction, operation and maintenance.

Are estimates of wind characteristics based on measurements with Pitot tubes and GNSS receivers mounted on consumer-grade unmanned aerial vehicles applicable in meteorological studies?

Science.gov (United States)

Niedzielski, Tomasz; Skjøth, Carsten; Werner, Małgorzata; Spallek, Waldemar; Witek, Matylda; Sawiński, Tymoteusz; Drzeniecka-Osiadacz, Anetta; Korzystka-Muskała, Magdalena; Muskała, Piotr; Modzel, Piotr; Guzikowski, Jakub; Kryza, Maciej

2017-09-01

The objective of this paper is to empirically show that estimates of wind speed and wind direction based on measurements carried out using the Pitot tubes and GNSS receivers, mounted on consumer-grade unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), may accurately approximate true wind parameters. The motivation for the study is that a growing number of commercial and scientific UAV operations may soon become a new source of data on wind speed and wind direction, with unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution. The feasibility study was carried out within an isolated mountain meadow of Polana Izerska located in the Izera Mountains (SW Poland) during an experiment which aimed to compare wind characteristics measured by several instruments: three UAVs (swinglet CAM, eBee, Maja) equipped with the Pitot tubes and GNSS receivers, wind speed and direction meters mounted at 2.5 and 10 m (mast), conventional weather station and vertical sodar. The three UAVs performed seven missions along spiral-like trajectories, most reaching 130 m above take-off location. The estimates of wind speed and wind direction were found to agree between UAVs. The time series of wind speed measured at 10 m were extrapolated to flight altitudes recorded at a given time so that a comparison was made feasible. It was found that the wind speed estimates provided by the UAVs on a basis of the Pitot tube/GNSS data are in agreement with measurements carried out using dedicated meteorological instruments. The discrepancies were recorded in the first and last phases of UAV flights.

Estimation of extreme wind speeds in the mixed strong wind climate of South Africa

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Kruger, AC

2010-08-01

Full Text Available wind-generating mechanisms for Australia. Annual extreme wind speeds are generated by different mechanisms, forthcoming from thunderstorm activity and the passages of extratropical low pressure systems, which were identified. Separate extreme value...

Quantifying offshore wind resources from satellite wind maps: Study area the North Sea

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hasager, Charlotte Bay; Barthelmie, Rebecca Jane; Christiansen, Merete B.

2006-01-01

Offshore wind resources are quantified from satellite synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and satellite scatterometer observations at local and regional scale respectively at the Horns Rev site in Denmark. The method for wind resource estimation from satellite observations interfaces with the wind atlas...... of the Horns Rev wind farm is quantified from satellite SAR images and compared with state-of-the-art wake model results with good agreement. It is a unique method using satellite observations to quantify the spatial extent of the wake behind large offshore wind farms. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd....... analysis and application program (WAsP). An estimate of the wind resource at the new project site at Horns Rev is given based on satellite SAR observations. The comparison of offshore satellite scatterometer winds, global model data and in situ data shows good agreement. Furthermore, the wake effect...

Deep learning ensemble with asymptotic techniques for oscillometric blood pressure estimation.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Soojeong; Chang, Joon-Hyuk

2017-11-01

This paper proposes a deep learning based ensemble regression estimator with asymptotic techniques, and offers a method that can decrease uncertainty for oscillometric blood pressure (BP) measurements using the bootstrap and Monte-Carlo approach. While the former is used to estimate SBP and DBP, the latter attempts to determine confidence intervals (CIs) for SBP and DBP based on oscillometric BP measurements. This work originally employs deep belief networks (DBN)-deep neural networks (DNN) to effectively estimate BPs based on oscillometric measurements. However, there are some inherent problems with these methods. First, it is not easy to determine the best DBN-DNN estimator, and worthy information might be omitted when selecting one DBN-DNN estimator and discarding the others. Additionally, our input feature vectors, obtained from only five measurements per subject, represent a very small sample size; this is a critical weakness when using the DBN-DNN technique and can cause overfitting or underfitting, depending on the structure of the algorithm. To address these problems, an ensemble with an asymptotic approach (based on combining the bootstrap with the DBN-DNN technique) is utilized to generate the pseudo features needed to estimate the SBP and DBP. In the first stage, the bootstrap-aggregation technique is used to create ensemble parameters. Afterward, the AdaBoost approach is employed for the second-stage SBP and DBP estimation. We then use the bootstrap and Monte-Carlo techniques in order to determine the CIs based on the target BP estimated using the DBN-DNN ensemble regression estimator with the asymptotic technique in the third stage. The proposed method can mitigate the estimation uncertainty such as large the standard deviation of error (SDE) on comparing the proposed DBN-DNN ensemble regression estimator with the DBN-DNN single regression estimator, we identify that the SDEs of the SBP and DBP are reduced by 0.58 and 0.57  mmHg, respectively. These

Demonstration of an efficient interpolation technique of inverse time and distance for Oceansat-2 wind measurements at 6-hourly intervals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J Swain

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Indian Space Research Organization had launched Oceansat-2 on 23 September 2009, and the scatterometer onboard was a space-borne sensor capable of providing ocean surface winds (both speed and direction over the globe for a mission life of 5 years. The observations of ocean surface winds from such a space-borne sensor are the potential source of data covering the global oceans and useful for driving the state-of-the-art numerical models for simulating ocean state if assimilated/blended with weather prediction model products. In this study, an efficient interpolation technique of inverse distance and time is demonstrated using the Oceansat-2 wind measurements alone for a selected month of June 2010 to generate gridded outputs. As the data are available only along the satellite tracks and there are obvious data gaps due to various other reasons, Oceansat-2 winds were subjected to spatio-temporal interpolation, and 6-hour global wind fields for the global oceans were generated over 1 × 1 degree grid resolution. Such interpolated wind fields can be used to drive the state-of-the-art numerical models to predict/hindcast ocean-state so as to experiment and test the utility/performance of satellite measurements alone in the absence of blended fields. The technique can be tested for other satellites, which provide wind speed as well as direction data. However, the accuracy of input winds is obviously expected to have a perceptible influence on the predicted ocean-state parameters. Here, some attempts are also made to compare the interpolated Oceansat-2 winds with available buoy measurements and it was found that they are reasonably in good agreement with a correlation coefficient of R  > 0.8 and mean deviation 1.04 m/s and 25° for wind speed and direction, respectively.

A modified objective mapping technique for scatterometer wind data

Science.gov (United States)

Kelly, Kathryn A.; Caruso, Michael J.

1990-01-01

A method for generating high-resolution wind maps from scatterometer data was developed and tested on synthetic data for the northeast Pacific Ocean. It is shown that, unlike the wind fields generated by current GCMs, the wind maps constructed by this method retain the high spatial resolution of the scatterometer wherever adequate measurements exist. For the NASA scatterometer, this method would produce every 12 hours a wind map with spatial resolution that preserves the small-scale features of the original data over about half the mapped region. Over the rest of the region, maps with somewhat lower resolution and accuracy will be obtained.

Model-based Estimation of Gas Leakage for Fluid Power Accumulators in Wind Turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Liniger, Jesper; Pedersen, Henrik Clemmensen; N. Soltani, Mohsen

2017-01-01

for accumulators, namely gas leakage. The method utilizes an Extended Kalman Filter for joint state and parameter estimation with special attention to limiting the use of sensors to those commonly used in wind turbines. The precision of the method is investigated on an experimental setup which allows for operation...... of the accumulator similar to the conditions in a turbine. The results show that gas leakage is indeed detectable during start-up of the turbine and robust behavior is achieved in a multi-fault environment where both gas and external fluid leakage occur simultaneously. The estimation precision is shown...... to be sensitive to initial conditions for the gas temperature and volume....

Wind Power Meteorology

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lundtang Petersen, Erik; Mortensen, Niels Gylling; Landberg, Lars

Wind power meteorology has evolved as an applied science, firmly founded on boundary-layer meteorology, but with strong links to climatology and geography. It concerns itself with three main areas: siting of wind turbines, regional wind resource assessment, and short-term prediction of the wind...... resource. The history, status and perspectives of wind power meteorology are presented, with emphasis on physical considerations and on its practical application. Following a global view of the wind resource, the elements of boundary layer meteorology which are most important for wind energy are reviewed......: wind profiles and shear, turbulence and gust, and extreme winds. The data used in wind power meteorology stem mainly from three sources: onsite wind measurements, the synoptic networks, and the re-analysis projects. Wind climate analysis, wind resource estimation and siting further require a detailed...

Design of a high power, resonant converter for DC wind turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dincan, Catalin Gabriel; Kjær, Philip Carne; Chen, Yu-Hsing

2018-01-01

This paper presents a design procedure and loss estimation for a high power, medium voltage series resonant converter (entitled SRC#), intended for application in megawatt medium-voltage DC wind turbines. The converter is operated with a novel method of operation, entitled pulse removal technique...

Wind power statistics and an evaluation of wind energy density

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jamil, M.; Parsa, S.; Majidi, M. [Materials and Energy Research Centre, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

1995-11-01

In this paper the statistical data of fifty days` wind speed measurements at the MERC- solar site are used to find out the wind energy density and other wind characteristics with the help of the Weibull probability distribution function. It is emphasized that the Weibull and Rayleigh probability functions are useful tools for wind energy density estimation but are not quite appropriate for properly fitting the actual wind data of low mean speed, short-time records. One has to use either the actual wind data (histogram) or look for a better fit by other models of the probability function. (Author)

A new wind speed forecasting strategy based on the chaotic time series modelling technique and the Apriori algorithm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo, Zhenhai; Chi, Dezhong; Wu, Jie; Zhang, Wenyu

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Impact of meteorological factors on wind speed forecasting is taken into account. • Forecasted wind speed results are corrected by the associated rules. • Forecasting accuracy is improved by the new wind speed forecasting strategy. • Robust of the proposed model is validated by data sampled from different sites. - Abstract: Wind energy has been the fastest growing renewable energy resource in recent years. Because of the intermittent nature of wind, wind power is a fluctuating source of electrical energy. Therefore, to minimize the impact of wind power on the electrical grid, accurate and reliable wind power forecasting is mandatory. In this paper, a new wind speed forecasting approach based on based on the chaotic time series modelling technique and the Apriori algorithm has been developed. The new approach consists of four procedures: (I) Clustering by using the k-means clustering approach; (II) Employing the Apriori algorithm to discover the association rules; (III) Forecasting the wind speed according to the chaotic time series forecasting model; and (IV) Correcting the forecasted wind speed data using the associated rules discovered previously. This procedure has been verified by 31-day-ahead daily average wind speed forecasting case studies, which employed the wind speed and other meteorological data collected from four meteorological stations located in the Hexi Corridor area of China. The results of these case studies reveal that the chaotic forecasting model can efficiently improve the accuracy of the wind speed forecasting, and the Apriori algorithm can effectively discover the association rules between the wind speed and other meteorological factors. In addition, the correction results demonstrate that the association rules discovered by the Apriori algorithm have powerful capacities in handling the forecasted wind speed values correction when the forecasted values do not match the classification discovered by the association rules

Description of the North Sea wind climate for wind energy applications

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Coelingh, J.P.; Wijk, A.J.M. van; Cleijne, J.W.; Pleune, R.

1992-01-01

In The Netherlands it is foreseen that wind turbines will be installed on offshore locations in the North Sea before the year 2010. Therefore adequate knowledge of the offshore wind climate should be obtained, both for the estimation of energy yields and for the determination of wind load

Anholt offshore wind farm winds investigated from satellite images

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hasager, Charlotte Bay; Badger, Merete; Volker, Patrick

, i.e. before the wind farm was constructed. Based on these data the wind resource is estimated. Concurrent Sentinel-1 SAR data and available SCADA and lidar data, kindly provided by DONG Energy and partners, for the period January 2013 to June 2015 account for ~70 images, while ~300 images...... are available for Sentinel-1 from July 2015 to February 2017. The Sentinel-1 wind maps are investigated for wind farm wake effects. Furthermore the results on wind resources and wakes are compared to the SCADA and model results from WRF, Park, Fuga and RANS models....

Wind loads on flat plate photovoltaic array fields (nonsteady winds)

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, R. D.; Zimmerman, D. K.

1981-01-01

Techniques to predict the dynamic response and the structural dynamic loads of flat plate photovoltaic arrays due to wind turbulence were analyzed. Guidelines for use in predicting the turbulent portion of the wind loading on future similar arrays are presented. The dynamic response and the loads dynamic magnification factor of the two array configurations are similar. The magnification factors at a mid chord and outer chord location on the array illustrated and at four points on the chord are shown. The wind tunnel test experimental rms pressure coefficient on which magnification factors are based is shown. It is found that the largest response and dynamic magnification factor occur at a mid chord location on an array and near the trailing edge. A technique employing these magnification factors and the wind tunnel test rms fluctuating pressure coefficients to calculate design pressure loads due to wind turbulence is presented.

Wind Velocity and Position Sensor-less Operation for PMSG Wind Generator

Science.gov (United States)

Senjyu, Tomonobu; Tamaki, Satoshi; Urasaki, Naomitsu; Uezato, Katsumi; Funabashi, Toshihisa; Fujita, Hideki

Electric power generation using non-conventional sources is receiving considerable attention throughout the world. Wind energy is one of the available non-conventional energy sources. Electrical power generation using wind energy is possible in two ways, viz. constant speed operation and variable speed operation using power electronic converters. Variable speed power generation is attractive, because maximum electric power can be generated at all wind velocities. However, this system requires a rotor speed sensor, for vector control purpose, which increases the cost of the system. To alleviate the need of rotor speed sensor in vector control, we propose a new sensor-less control of PMSG (Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator) based on the flux linkage. We can estimate the rotor position using the estimated flux linkage. We use a first-order lag compensator to obtain the flux linkage. Furthermore‚we estimate wind velocity and rotation speed using a observer. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated thorough simulation results.

On the skill of various ensemble spread estimators for probabilistic short range wind forecasting

Science.gov (United States)

Kann, A.

2012-05-01

A variety of applications ranging from civil protection associated with severe weather to economical interests are heavily dependent on meteorological information. For example, a precise planning of the energy supply with a high share of renewables requires detailed meteorological information on high temporal and spatial resolution. With respect to wind power, detailed analyses and forecasts of wind speed are of crucial interest for the energy management. Although the applicability and the current skill of state-of-the-art probabilistic short range forecasts has increased during the last years, ensemble systems still show systematic deficiencies which limit its practical use. This paper presents methods to improve the ensemble skill of 10-m wind speed forecasts by combining deterministic information from a nowcasting system on very high horizontal resolution with uncertainty estimates from a limited area ensemble system. It is shown for a one month validation period that a statistical post-processing procedure (a modified non-homogeneous Gaussian regression) adds further skill to the probabilistic forecasts, especially beyond the nowcasting range after +6 h.

Model output statistics applied to wind power prediction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Joensen, A; Giebel, G; Landberg, L [Risoe National Lab., Roskilde (Denmark); Madsen, H; Nielsen, H A [The Technical Univ. of Denmark, Dept. of Mathematical Modelling, Lyngby (Denmark)

1999-03-01

Being able to predict the output of a wind farm online for a day or two in advance has significant advantages for utilities, such as better possibility to schedule fossil fuelled power plants and a better position on electricity spot markets. In this paper prediction methods based on Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) models are considered. The spatial resolution used in NWP models implies that these predictions are not valid locally at a specific wind farm. Furthermore, due to the non-stationary nature and complexity of the processes in the atmosphere, and occasional changes of NWP models, the deviation between the predicted and the measured wind will be time dependent. If observational data is available, and if the deviation between the predictions and the observations exhibits systematic behavior, this should be corrected for; if statistical methods are used, this approaches is usually referred to as MOS (Model Output Statistics). The influence of atmospheric turbulence intensity, topography, prediction horizon length and auto-correlation of wind speed and power is considered, and to take the time-variations into account, adaptive estimation methods are applied. Three estimation techniques are considered and compared, Extended Kalman Filtering, recursive least squares and a new modified recursive least squares algorithm. (au) EU-JOULE-3. 11 refs.

High-fidelity Modeling of Local Effects of Damage for Derated Offshore Wind Turbines

Science.gov (United States)

Richards, Phillip W.; Griffith, D. Todd; Hodges, Dewey H.

2014-06-01

Offshore wind power production is an attractive clean energy option, but the difficulty of access can lead to expensive and rare opportunities for maintenance. As part of the Structural Health and Prognostics Management (SHPM) project at Sandia National Laboratories, smart loads management (controls) are investigated for their potential to increase the fatigue life of offshore wind turbine rotor blades. Derating refers to altering the rotor angular speed and blade pitch to limit power production and loads on the rotor blades. High- fidelity analysis techniques like 3D finite element modeling (FEM) should be used alongside beam models of wind turbine blades to characterize these control strategies in terms of their effect to mitigate fatigue damage and extend life of turbine blades. This study will consider a commonly encountered damage type for wind turbine blades, the trailing edge disbond, and show how FEM can be used to quantify the effect of operations and control strategies designed to extend the fatigue life of damaged blades. The Virtual Crack Closure Technique (VCCT) will be used to post-process the displacement and stress results to provide estimates of damage severity/criticality and provide a means to estimate the fatigue life under a given operations and control strategy.

High-fidelity Modeling of Local Effects of Damage for Derated Offshore Wind Turbines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Richards, Phillip W; Griffith, D Todd; Hodges, Dewey H

2014-01-01

Offshore wind power production is an attractive clean energy option, but the difficulty of access can lead to expensive and rare opportunities for maintenance. As part of the Structural Health and Prognostics Management (SHPM) project at Sandia National Laboratories, smart loads management (controls) are investigated for their potential to increase the fatigue life of offshore wind turbine rotor blades. Derating refers to altering the rotor angular speed and blade pitch to limit power production and loads on the rotor blades. High- fidelity analysis techniques like 3D finite element modeling (FEM) should be used alongside beam models of wind turbine blades to characterize these control strategies in terms of their effect to mitigate fatigue damage and extend life of turbine blades. This study will consider a commonly encountered damage type for wind turbine blades, the trailing edge disbond, and show how FEM can be used to quantify the effect of operations and control strategies designed to extend the fatigue life of damaged blades. The Virtual Crack Closure Technique (VCCT) will be used to post-process the displacement and stress results to provide estimates of damage severity/criticality and provide a means to estimate the fatigue life under a given operations and control strategy

Wind Resource Assessment of Gujarat (India)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Draxl, C.; Purkayastha, A.; Parker, Z.

2014-07-01

India is one of the largest wind energy markets in the world. In 1986 Gujarat was the first Indian state to install a wind power project. In February 2013, the installed wind capacity in Gujarat was 3,093 MW. Due to the uncertainty around existing wind energy assessments in India, this analysis uses the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model to simulate the wind at current hub heights for one year to provide more precise estimates of wind resources in Gujarat. The WRF model allows for accurate simulations of winds near the surface and at heights important for wind energy purposes. While previous resource assessments published wind power density, we focus on average wind speeds, which can be converted to wind power densities by the user with methods of their choice. The wind resource estimates in this study show regions with average annual wind speeds of more than 8 m/s.

Deflection estimation of a wind turbine blade using FBG sensors embedded in the blade bonding line

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Sang-Woo; Kang, Woo-Ram; Jeong, Min-Soo; Lee, In; Kwon, Il-Bum

2013-01-01

Estimating the deflection of flexible composite wind turbine blades is very important to prevent the blades from hitting the tower. Several researchers have used fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors—a type of optical fiber sensor (OFS)—to monitor the structural behavior of the blades. They can be installed on the surface and/or embedded in the interior of composites. However, the typical installation positions of OFSs present several problems, including delamination of sensing probes and a higher risk of fiber breakage during installation. In this study, we proposed using the bonding line between the shear web and spar cap as a new installation position of embedded OFSs for estimating the deflection of the blades. Laboratory coupon tests were undertaken preliminarily to confirm the strain measuring capability of embedded FBG sensors in adhesive layers, and the obtained values were verified by comparison with results obtained by electrical strain gauges and finite element analysis. We performed static loading tests on a 100 kW composite wind turbine blade to evaluate its deflections using embedded FBG sensors positioned in the bonding line. The deflections were estimated by classical beam theory considering a rigid body rotation near the tip of the blade. The evaluated tip deflections closely matched those measured by a linear variable differential transformer. Therefore, we verified the capability of embedded FBG sensors for evaluating the deflections of wind turbine blades. In addition, we confirmed that the bonding line between the shear web and spar cap is a practical location to embed the FBG sensors. (paper)

Power control and management of the grid containing largescale wind power systems

Science.gov (United States)

Aula, Fadhil Toufick

methods are presented. The first method is based on a de-loaded technique while the other method is based on utilizing multiple storage facilities. The de-loaded technique is based on characteristics of the power of a wind turbine and estimation of the generated power according to weather forecasting data. The technique provides a reference power by which the wind power system will operate and generate a smooth power. In contrast, utilizing storage facilities will allow the wind power system to operate at its maximum tracking power points' strategy. Two types of energy storages are considered in this research, battery energy storage system (BESS) and pumped-hydropower storage system (PHSS), to suppress the output fluctuations and to support the wind power system to follow the system load demands. Furthermore, this method provides the ability to store energy when there is a surplus of the generated power and to reuse it when there is a shortage of power generation from wind power systems. Both methods are new in terms of utilizing of the techniques and wind speed data. A microprocessor embedded system using an IntelRTM Atom(TM) processor is presented for controlling the wind power system and for providing the remote communication for enhancing the operation of the individual wind power system in a wind farm. The embedded system helps the wind power system to respond and to follow the commands of the central control of the power system. Moreover, it enhances the performance of the wind power system through self-managing, self-functioning, and self-correcting. Finally, a method of system power management and planning is modeled and studied for a grid containing large-scale wind power systems. The method is based on a new technique through constructing a new load demand curve (NLDC) from merging the estimation of generated power from wind power systems and forecasting of the load. To summarize, the methods and their results presented in this dissertation, enhance the

Wind Power in Georgia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2012-11-01

Georgia has good wind power potential. Preliminary analyses show that the technical wind power potential in Georgia is good. Meteorological data shows that Georgia has four main areas in Georgia with annual average wind speeds of over 6 m/s and two main areas with 5-6 m/s at 80m. The most promising areas are the high mountain zone of the Great Caucasus, The Kura river valley, The South-Georgian highland and the Southern part of the Georgian Black Sea coast. Czech company Wind Energy Invest has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Georgian authorities for development of the first wind farm in Georgia, a 50MW wind park in Paravani, Southern Georgia, to be completed in 2014. Annual generation is estimated to 170.00 GWh and the investment estimated to 101 million US$. Wind power is suited to balance hydropower in the Georgian electricity sector Electricity generation in Georgia is dominated by hydro power, constituting 88% of total generation in 2009. Limited storage capacity and significant spring and summer peaks in river flows result in an uneven annual generation profile and winter time shortages that are covered by three gas power plants. Wind power is a carbon-free energy source well suited to balance hydropower, as it is available (often strongest) in the winter and can be exported when there is a surplus. Another advantage with wind power is the lead time for the projects; the time from site selection to operation for a wind power park (approximately 2.5 years) is much shorter than for hydro power (often 6-8 years). There is no support system or scheme for renewable sources in Georgia, so wind power has to compete directly with other energy sources and is in most cases more expensive to build than hydro power. In a country and region with rapidly increasing energy demands, the factors described above nevertheless indicate that there is a commercial niche and a role to play for Georgian wind power. Skra: An example of a wind power development

The variability of interconnected wind plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Katzenstein, Warren; Fertig, Emily; Apt, Jay

2010-01-01

We present the first frequency-dependent analyses of the geographic smoothing of wind power's variability, analyzing the interconnected measured output of 20 wind plants in Texas. Reductions in variability occur at frequencies corresponding to times shorter than ∼24 h and are quantified by measuring the departure from a Kolmogorov spectrum. At a frequency of 2.8x10 -4 Hz (corresponding to 1 h), an 87% reduction of the variability of a single wind plant is obtained by interconnecting 4 wind plants. Interconnecting the remaining 16 wind plants produces only an additional 8% reduction. We use step change analyses and correlation coefficients to compare our results with previous studies, finding that wind power ramps up faster than it ramps down for each of the step change intervals analyzed and that correlation between the power output of wind plants 200 km away is half that of co-located wind plants. To examine variability at very low frequencies, we estimate yearly wind energy production in the Great Plains region of the United States from automated wind observations at airports covering 36 years. The estimated wind power has significant inter-annual variability and the severity of wind drought years is estimated to be about half that observed nationally for hydroelectric power.

Incorporation of Finite Element Analysis into Annual Energy Loss Estimation for Permanent Magnet Wind Turbine Generators

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Henriksen, Matthew Lee; Jensen, Bogi Bech

2013-01-01

Several methods of estimating the annual energy losses for wind turbine generators are investigated in this paper. Utilizing a high amount of transient simulations with motion is first demonstrated. Usage of a space-time transformation for prediction of iron losses is also explored. The methods, ...

Wind energy in Mediterranean Basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gaudiosi, G.

1991-01-01

In its examination of wind energy potential in the Mediterranean Basin, this paper provides brief notes on the Basin's geography; indicates power production and demand; describes the area's wind characteristics and wind monitoring activities; illustrates wind velocity distributions; estimates local wind power production potential; reviews the Basin's wind energy marketing situation and each bordering country's wind energy programs; surveys installed wind energy farms; and assesses national research and commercialization efforts

Development of a practical modeling framework for estimating the impact of wind technology on bird populations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Morrison, M.L. [California State Univ., Sacramento, CA (United States); Pollock, K.H. [North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC (United States)

1997-11-01

One of the most pressing environmental concerns related to wind project development is the potential for avian fatalities caused by the turbines. The goal of this project is to develop a useful, practical modeling framework for evaluating potential wind power plant impacts that can be generalized to most bird species. This modeling framework could be used to get a preliminary understanding of the likelihood of significant impacts to birds, in a cost-effective way. The authors accomplish this by (1) reviewing the major factors that can influence the persistence of a wild population; (2) briefly reviewing various models that can aid in estimating population status and trend, including methods of evaluating model structure and performance; (3) reviewing survivorship and population projections; and (4) developing a framework for using models to evaluate the potential impacts of wind development on birds.

Development of a practical modeling framework for estimating the impact of wind technology on bird populations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morrison, M.L.; Pollock, K.H.

1997-11-01

One of the most pressing environmental concerns related to wind project development is the potential for avian fatalities caused by the turbines. The goal of this project is to develop a useful, practical modeling framework for evaluating potential wind power plant impacts that can be generalized to most bird species. This modeling framework could be used to get a preliminary understanding of the likelihood of significant impacts to birds, in a cost-effective way. The authors accomplish this by (1) reviewing the major factors that can influence the persistence of a wild population; (2) briefly reviewing various models that can aid in estimating population status and trend, including methods of evaluating model structure and performance; (3) reviewing survivorship and population projections; and (4) developing a framework for using models to evaluate the potential impacts of wind development on birds

Potential of Offshore Wind Energy and Extreme Wind Speed Forecasting on the West Coast of Taiwan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pei-Chi Chang

2015-02-01

Full Text Available It is of great importance and urgency for Taiwan to develop offshore wind power. However, relevant data on offshore wind energy resources are limited. This study imported wind speeds measured by a tidal station and a buoy into the software WAsP to estimate the high-altitude wind speeds in the two areas. A light detection and ranging (Lidar system was set up near the tidal station and buoy. High-altitude wind speeds measured by the Lidar system were compared with the WAsP-estimated values, and it was discovered that the two data sets were consistent. Then, long-term wind speed data observed by buoys and tidal stations at various locations were imported into WAsP to forecast wind speeds at heights of 55–200 m on the west coast of Taiwan. The software WAsP Engineering was used to analyze the extreme wind speeds in the same areas. The results show that wind speeds at 100 m are approximately 9.32–11.24 m/s, which means that the coastal areas of west Taiwan are rich in wind energy resources. When a long-term 10-min average wind speed is used, the extreme wind speed on the west coast is estimated to be between 36.4 and 55.3 m/s.

UWB Wind Turbine Blade Deflection Sensing for Wind Energy Cost Reduction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhang, Shuai; Jensen, Tobias Lindstrøm; Franek, Ondrej

2015-01-01

A new application of utilizing ultra-wideband (UWB) technology to sense wind turbine blade deflections is introduced in this paper for wind energy cost reduction. The lower UWB band of 3.1–5.3 GHz is applied. On each blade, there will be one UWB blade deflection sensing system, which consists...... is always of sufficient quality for accurate estimations under different deflections. The measured results reveal that the blade tip-root distance and blade deflection can be accurately estimated in the complicated and lossy wireless channels around a wind turbine blade. Some future research topics...

Statistical uncertainty of extreme wind storms over Europe derived from a probabilistic clustering technique

Science.gov (United States)

Walz, Michael; Leckebusch, Gregor C.

2016-04-01

Extratropical wind storms pose one of the most dangerous and loss intensive natural hazards for Europe. However, due to only 50 years of high quality observational data, it is difficult to assess the statistical uncertainty of these sparse events just based on observations. Over the last decade seasonal ensemble forecasts have become indispensable in quantifying the uncertainty of weather prediction on seasonal timescales. In this study seasonal forecasts are used in a climatological context: By making use of the up to 51 ensemble members, a broad and physically consistent statistical base can be created. This base can then be used to assess the statistical uncertainty of extreme wind storm occurrence more accurately. In order to determine the statistical uncertainty of storms with different paths of progression, a probabilistic clustering approach using regression mixture models is used to objectively assign storm tracks (either based on core pressure or on extreme wind speeds) to different clusters. The advantage of this technique is that the entire lifetime of a storm is considered for the clustering algorithm. Quadratic curves are found to describe the storm tracks most accurately. Three main clusters (diagonal, horizontal or vertical progression of the storm track) can be identified, each of which have their own particulate features. Basic storm features like average velocity and duration are calculated and compared for each cluster. The main benefit of this clustering technique, however, is to evaluate if the clusters show different degrees of uncertainty, e.g. more (less) spread for tracks approaching Europe horizontally (diagonally). This statistical uncertainty is compared for different seasonal forecast products.

Comparison of high-latitude thermospheric meridional winds II: combined FPI, radar and model climatologies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Griffin, E.M.; Aruliah, A.; Mueller-Wodarg, I.C.F.; Aylward, A. [Atmospheric Physics Lab., Univ. Coll. London, London (United Kingdom)

2004-07-01

The climatological behaviour of the thermospheric meridional wind above Kiruna, Sweden (67.4 N, 20.4 E) has been investigated for seasonal and solar cycle dependence using six different techniques, comprising both model and experimental sources. Model output from both the empirical Horizontal Wind Model (HWM) (Hedin et al., 1988) and the numerical coupled thermosphere and ionosphere model (CTIM) are compared to the measured behaviour at kiruna, as a single site example. The empirical International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) model is used as input to an implementation of servo theory, to provide another climatology combining empirical input with a theoretical framework. The experimental techniques have been introduced in a companion paper in this issue and provide climatologies from direct measurements, using fabry-perot interferometers (FPI), together with 2 separate techniques applied to the European incoherent scatter radar (EISCAT) database to derive neutral winds. One of these techniques uses the same implementation of servo theory as has been used with the IRI model. Detailed comparisons for each season and solar activity category allow for conclusions to be drawn as to the major influences on the climatological behaviour of the wind at this latitude. Comparison of the incoherent scatter radar (ISR) derived neutral winds with FPI, empirical model and numerical model winds is important to our understanding and judgement of the validity of the techniques used to derive thermospheric wind databases. The comparisons also test model performance and indicate possible reasons for differences found between the models. In turn, the conclusions point to possible improvements in their formulation. In particular it is found that the empirical models are over-reliant on mid-latitude data in their formulation, and fail to provide accurate estimates of the winds at high-latitudes. (orig.)

Evaluation of mfcc estimation techniques for music similarity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Jesper Højvang; Christensen, Mads Græsbøll; Murthi, Manohar

2006-01-01

Spectral envelope parameters in the form of mel-frequencycepstral coefficients are often used for capturing timbral information of music signals in connection with genre classification applications. In this paper, we evaluate mel-frequencycepstral coefficient (MFCC) estimation techniques, namely...... independent linear prediction and MVDR spectral estimators did not exhibit any statistically significant improvement over MFCCs based on the simpler FFT....

Blade-Element/Momentum Technique for Rotors operating in Wind Tunnels

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Jens Nørkær; Sørensen, Dan Nørtoft

2003-01-01

small, since important properties of the blade boundary layer otherwise cannot be captured correctly. On the other hand, severe problems with wind tunnel blockage may be the result if the ratio between the areas of the rotor and the wind tunnel cross section is too big. In all cases, wind tunnel...... wallcorrections are needed in order that measured data corresponds to unconstrained flow conditions. The present work is based on a model for ducted axial fans by Sørensen and Sørensen [5], modified to account for free (unbounded) turbines [6]. Here, we extend the model to acount for wind turbines placed in wind...

Comparative study of the behavior of wind-turbines in a wind farm

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Migoya, Emilio; Crespo, Antonio; Garcia, Javier; Manuel, Fernando; Jimenez, Angel [Universidad Politecnica de Madrid (UPM), Madrid (Spain). Departamento de Ingenieria Energetica y Fluidomecanica, Laboratorio de Mecanica de Fluidos; Moreno, Fermin [Comision Nacional de la Energia, Madrid (Spain); Costa, Alexandre [Energia Eolica, Division de Energias Renovables, CIEMAT, Madrid (Spain)

2007-10-15

The Sotavento wind farm is an experimental wind farm which has different types of wind turbines. It is located in an area whose topography is moderately complex, and where wake effects can be significant. One of the objectives of Sotavento wind farm is to compare the performances of the different machines; particularly regarding power production, maintenance and failures. However, because of wakes and topography, the different machines are not working under identical conditions. Two linearized codes have been used to estimate topography effects: UPMORO and WAsP. For wind directions in which topography is abrupt, the non-linear flow equations have been solved with the commercial code FLUENT, although the results are only qualitatively used. For wake effects, the UPMPARK code has been applied. As a result, the incident velocity over each wind turbine is obtained, and the power production is estimated by means of the power curve of each machine. Experimental measurements give simultaneously the wind characteristics at the measuring stations, the wind velocity, at the nacelle anemometer, and the power production of each wind turbine. These experimental results are employed to validate the numerical predictions. The main objective of this work is to deduce and validate a relationship between the wind characteristics measured in the anemometers and the wind velocity and the power output in each machine. (author)

Modeling wind energy potential in a data-poor region: A geographic information systems model for Iraq

Science.gov (United States)

Khayyat, Abdulkareem Hawta Abdullah Kak Ahmed

Scope and Method of Study: Most developing countries, including Iraq, have very poor wind data. Existing wind speed measurements of poor quality may therefore be a poor guide to where to look for the best wind resources. The main focus of this study is to examine how effectively a GIS spatial model estimates wind power potential in regions where high-quality wind data are very scarce, such as Iraq. The research used a mixture of monthly and hourly wind data from 39 meteorological stations. The study applied spatial analysis statistics and GIS techniques in modeling wind power potential. The model weighted important human, environmental and geographic factors that impact wind turbine siting, such as roughness length, land use⪉nd cover type, airport locations, road access, transmission lines, slope and aspect. Findings and Conclusions: The GIS model provided estimations for wind speed and wind power density and identified suitable areas for wind power projects. Using a high resolution (30*30m) digital elevation model DEM improved the GIS wind suitability model. The model identified areas suitable for wind farm development on different scales. The model showed that there are many locations available for large-scale wind turbines in the southern part of Iraq. Additionally, there are many places in central and northern parts (Kurdistan Region) for smaller scale wind turbine placement.

Estimation of Correlation Functions by the Random Decrement Technique

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brincker, Rune; Krenk, Steen; Jensen, Jakob Laigaard

responses simulated by two SDOF ARMA models loaded by the same bandlimited white noise. The speed and the accuracy of the RDD technique is compared to the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) technique. The RDD technique does not involve multiplications, but only additions. Therefore, the technique is very fast......The Random Decrement (RDD) Technique is a versatile technique for characterization of random signals in the time domain. In this paper a short review of the theoretical basis is given, and the technique is illustrated by estimating auto-correlation functions and cross-correlation functions on modal...

Estimation of Correlation Functions by the Random Decrement Technique

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brincker, Rune; Krenk, Steen; Jensen, Jacob Laigaard

1991-01-01

responses simulated by two SDOF ARMA models loaded by the same band-limited white noise. The speed and the accuracy of the RDD technique is compared to the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) technique. The RDD technique does not involve multiplications, but only additions. Therefore, the technique is very fast......The Random Decrement (RDD) Technique is a versatile technique for characterization of random signals in the time domain. In this paper a short review of the theoretical basis is given, and the technique is illustrated by estimating auto-correlation functions and cross-correlation functions on modal...

Estimation of Correlation Functions by the Random Decrement Technique

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brincker, Rune; Krenk, Steen; Jensen, Jakob Laigaard

1992-01-01

responses simulated by two SDOF ARMA models loaded by the same bandlimited white noise. The speed and the accuracy of the RDD technique is compared to the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) technique. The RDD technique does not involve multiplications, but only additions. Therefore, the technique is very fast......The Random Decrement (RDD) Technique is a versatile technique for characterization of random signals in the time domain. In this paper a short review of the theoretical basis is given, and the technique is illustrated by estimating auto-correlation functions and cross-correlation functions on modal...

Two LQRI based Blade Pitch Controls for Wind Turbines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yoonsu Nam

2012-06-01

Full Text Available As the wind turbine size has been increasing and their mechanical components are built lighter, the reduction of the structural loads becomes a very important task of wind turbine control in addition to maximum wind power capture. In this paper, we present a separate set of collective and individual pitch control algorithms. Both pitch control algorithms use the LQR control technique with integral action (LQRI, and utilize Kalman filters to estimate system states and wind speed. Compared to previous works in this area, our pitch control algorithms can control rotor speed and blade bending moments at the same time to improve the trade-off between rotor speed regulation and load reduction, while both collective and individual pitch controls can be designed separately. Simulation results show that the proposed collective and individual pitch controllers achieve very good rotor speed regulation and significant reduction of blade bending moments.

Indirect sensorless speed control of a PMSG for wind application

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Diaz, S.A.; Silva, C.; Juliet, J.

2009-01-01

the method usually referred in the literature as indirect speed control (ISC). The principle of this method is the regulation of the generator torque as function of rotor speed such that the steady state operation is at the MPPT. This strategy normally requires the knowledge of the shaft speed to determinate...... in the whole wind generator system a sensorless scheme is proposed, thereby avoiding problems of electromagnetic interferences and failures in the position sensor. Usually, in wind drive system, the generator is not operated a very low speeds, therefore problems related to low back-emf for flux estimation...... the reference torque and rotor position for the orientation of the vector torque control of the PMSG. To achieve both, speed and position estimation, the sensorless technique based in back-emf estimation is proposed. Also in this paper, a laboratory set-up is described. The experimental bench is composed...

A probabilistic assessment of large scale wind power development for long-term energy resource planning

Science.gov (United States)

Kennedy, Scott Warren

A steady decline in the cost of wind turbines and increased experience in their successful operation have brought this technology to the forefront of viable alternatives for large-scale power generation. Methodologies for understanding the costs and benefits of large-scale wind power development, however, are currently limited. In this thesis, a new and widely applicable technique for estimating the social benefit of large-scale wind power production is presented. The social benefit is based upon wind power's energy and capacity services and the avoidance of environmental damages. The approach uses probabilistic modeling techniques to account for the stochastic interaction between wind power availability, electricity demand, and conventional generator dispatch. A method for including the spatial smoothing effect of geographically dispersed wind farms is also introduced. The model has been used to analyze potential offshore wind power development to the south of Long Island, NY. If natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) and integrated gasifier combined cycle (IGCC) are the alternative generation sources, wind power exhibits a negative social benefit due to its high capacity cost and the relatively low emissions of these advanced fossil-fuel technologies. Environmental benefits increase significantly if charges for CO2 emissions are included. Results also reveal a diminishing social benefit as wind power penetration increases. The dependence of wind power benefits on natural gas and coal prices is also discussed. In power systems with a high penetration of wind generated electricity, the intermittent availability of wind power may influence hourly spot prices. A price responsive electricity demand model is introduced that shows a small increase in wind power value when consumers react to hourly spot prices. The effectiveness of this mechanism depends heavily on estimates of the own- and cross-price elasticities of aggregate electricity demand. This work makes a valuable

Wind Atlas of Bay of Bengal with Satellite Wind Measurement

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nadi, Navila Rahman

footstep towards offshore wind energy analysis for this region. Generally, it is difficult to find offshore wind data relative to the wind turbine hub heights, therefore a starting point is necessary to identify the possible wind power density of the region. In such scenario, Synthetic aperture radars (SAR......The objective of this study is to obtain appropriate offshore location in the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh for further development of wind energy. Through analyzing the previous published works, no offshore wind energy estimation has been found here. That is why, this study can be claimed as the first......) have proven useful. In this study, SAR based dataset- ENVISAT ASAR has been used for Wind Atlas generation. Furthermore, a comparative study has been performed with Global Wind Atlas (GWA) to determine a potential offshore wind farm. Additionally, the annual energy production of that offshore windfarm...

Statistical characterization of roughness uncertainty and impact on wind resource estimation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kelly, Mark C.; Ejsing Jørgensen, Hans

2017-01-01

In this work we relate uncertainty in background roughness length (z0) to uncertainty in wind speeds, where the latter are predicted at a wind farm location based on wind statistics observed at a different site. Sensitivity of predicted winds to roughness is derived analytically for the industry...... between mean wind speed and AEP. Following our developments, we provide guidance on approximate roughness uncertainty magnitudes to be expected in industry practice, and we also find that sites with larger background roughness incur relatively larger uncertainties.......-standard European Wind Atlas method, which is based on the geostrophic drag law. We statistically consider roughness and its corresponding uncertainty, in terms of both z0 derived from measured wind speeds as well as that chosen in practice by wind engineers. We show the combined effect of roughness uncertainty...

Estimation of the Lagrangian structure function constant ¤C¤0 from surface-layer wind data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Anfossi, D.; Degrazia, G.; Ferrero, E.

2000-01-01

Eulerian turbulence observations, made in the surface layer under unstable conditions (z/L > 0), by a sonic anemometer were used to estimate the Lagrangian structure function constant C(0). Two methods were considered. The first one makes use of a relationship, widely used in the Lagrangian...... stochastic dispersion models, relating C(0) to the turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate epsilon, wind velocity variance and Lagrangian decorrelation time. The second one employs a novel equation, connecting C(0) to the constant of the second-order Eulerian structure function. Before estimating C(0...

Comparison of techniques for estimating herbage intake by grazing dairy cows

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Smit, H.J.; Taweel, H.Z.; Tas, B.M.; Tamminga, S.; Elgersma, A.

2005-01-01

For estimating herbage intake during grazing, the traditional sward cutting technique was compared in grazing experiments in 2002 and 2003 with the recently developed n-alkanes technique and with the net energy method. The first method estimates herbage intake by the difference between the herbage

A new estimation technique of sovereign default risk

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mehmet Ali Soytaş

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Using the fixed-point theorem, sovereign default models are solved by numerical value function iteration and calibration methods, which due to their computational constraints, greatly limits the models' quantitative performance and foregoes its country-specific quantitative projection ability. By applying the Hotz-Miller estimation technique (Hotz and Miller, 1993- often used in applied microeconometrics literature- to dynamic general equilibrium models of sovereign default, one can estimate the ex-ante default probability of economies, given the structural parameter values obtained from country-specific business-cycle statistics and relevant literature. Thus, with this technique we offer an alternative solution method to dynamic general equilibrium models of sovereign default to improve upon their quantitative inference ability.

Remote sensing observation used in offshore wind energy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hasager, Charlotte Bay; Pena Diaz, Alfredo; Christiansen, Merete Bruun

2008-01-01

Remote sensing observations used in offshore wind energy are described in three parts: ground-based techniques and applications, airborne techniques and applications, and satellite-based techniques and applications. Ground-based remote sensing of winds is relevant, in particular, for new large wind...

Estimation of cost development of offshore wind energy in the Netherlands and required governmental contribution to realize 6,000 MW in 2020

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Vries, H.J.; Van Sambeek, E.J.W.

2004-04-01

The development of the cost of the production of electricity from offshore wind sources is explored. These cost developments are used to estimate the cost of the Dutch Government to fulfil its self-set target of 6,000 MW offshore wind energy capacity in 2020 [nl

Model-Based Load Estimation for Predictive Condition Monitoring of Wind Turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Perisic, Nevena; Pederen, Bo Juul; Grunnet, Jacob Deleuran

signal is performed online, and a Load Indicator Signal (LIS) is formulated as a ratio between current estimated accumulated fatigue loads and its expected value based only on a priori knowledge (WTG dynamics and wind climate). LOT initialisation is based on a priori knowledge and can be obtained using...... programme for pre-maintenance actions. The performance of LOT is demonstrated by applying it to one of the most critical WTG components, the gearbox. Model-based load CMS for gearbox requires only standard WTG SCADA data. Direct measuring of gearbox fatigue loads requires high cost and low reliability...... measurement equipment. Thus, LOT can significantly reduce the price of load monitoring....

Enhanced regional forecasting considering single wind farm distribution for upscaling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bremen, Lueder von; Saleck, Nadja; Heinemann, Detlev

2007-01-01

With increasing wind power penetration the need for more accurate wind power forecasts increases to raise the market value of wind power. State-of-the-art wind power forecasting tools are considered either statistical or physical. Fundamentally new techniques are rare, thus it is tried to establish a new approach. The spatial decomposition of wind power generation in Germany can be done with principle component analysis to extract the main pattern of variability. They have a physical meaning when linked with typical weather situation. The first four eigenvectors explain about 94 % of the observed variance. The time-evolving principle components are linked with the total wind power feed-in in Germany and are used for its estimation. A new wind power forecasting model has been implemented with this approach and shows very good results that are comparable with state-of-the-art commercial wind power forecast models. The day-ahead forecast error for a common intercomparison period Jan-Jul 2006 is 4.4 %. The suggested approach offers wide ranges for future developments (e.g. several NWP models), because it is computationally very cheap to run

Vector wind and vector wind shear models 0 to 27 km altitude for Cape Kennedy, Florida, and Vandenberg AFB, California

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, O. E.

1976-01-01

The techniques are presented to derive several statistical wind models. The techniques are from the properties of the multivariate normal probability function. Assuming that the winds can be considered as bivariate normally distributed, then (1) the wind components and conditional wind components are univariate normally distributed, (2) the wind speed is Rayleigh distributed, (3) the conditional distribution of wind speed given a wind direction is Rayleigh distributed, and (4) the frequency of wind direction can be derived. All of these distributions are derived from the 5-sample parameter of wind for the bivariate normal distribution. By further assuming that the winds at two altitudes are quadravariate normally distributed, then the vector wind shear is bivariate normally distributed and the modulus of the vector wind shear is Rayleigh distributed. The conditional probability of wind component shears given a wind component is normally distributed. Examples of these and other properties of the multivariate normal probability distribution function as applied to Cape Kennedy, Florida, and Vandenberg AFB, California, wind data samples are given. A technique to develop a synthetic vector wind profile model of interest to aerospace vehicle applications is presented.

Discrete Hilbert transformation and its application to estimate the wind speed in Hong Kong

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhu, Zuojin [Department of Thermal Science and Energy Engineering, Institute of Engineering Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui (China); Yang, Hongxing [Department of Building Services Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong (Hong Kong)

2002-01-01

Discrete Hilbert Transform (DHT) has been applied to estimate the wind speed with the sample data sequence selected from the data record observed by the observatory in Hong Kong in June 1989, during which the data pertain to deep valleys and sharp crests due to manifold weather conditions in this region. To confirm the performance of the discrete Hilbert transformer, two harmonic input sequences were used to inspect the output signals, whether good agreement with the theoretical results is obtained. It was found that the energy spectrum and the outputs for the two different harmonic discrete waves are certainly correct. After the inspection of the DHT filter, the sample data for wind speed in Hong Kong were used for wind speed forecasting. For zero mean input sequence, the variance of the output is the same as that of the input signals, and so is the energy spectrum. The DHT of an individual input sample can really reflect the local variation performance, since it is the convolution with the reciprocal of time and the input data sequence, but there exists phase shift. For harmonic signals, the output signal holds a 90 phase delay.

Wireless Concrete Strength Monitoring of Wind Turbine Foundations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcus Perry

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Wind turbine foundations are typically cast in place, leaving the concrete to mature under environmental conditions that vary in time and space. As a result, there is uncertainty around the concrete’s initial performance, and this can encourage both costly over-design and inaccurate prognoses of structural health. Here, we demonstrate the field application of a dense, wireless thermocouple network to monitor the strength development of an onshore, reinforced-concrete wind turbine foundation. Up-to-date methods in fly ash concrete strength and maturity modelling are used to estimate the distribution and evolution of foundation strength over 29 days of curing. Strength estimates are verified by core samples, extracted from the foundation base. In addition, an artificial neural network, trained using temperature data, is exploited to demonstrate that distributed concrete strengths can be estimated for foundations using only sparse thermocouple data. Our techniques provide a practical alternative to computational models, and could assist site operators in making more informed decisions about foundation design, construction, operation and maintenance.

Characteristics of Wind Power Projects in Mountainous Area and Techniques for Wind Turbine Installation%山区风电工程特点与风机吊装技术

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

张栋

2014-01-01

In recent years , mountains for domestic wind power development become higher , which also make the instal-lation of wind turbines a more difficult work .For wind power projects , it is now a major issue to complete the installation of wind turbines safely and efficiently on schedule .In this paper , practical experience from the second stage Luotuogou project in Hebei province is summarized .Characteristics of wind power projects in mountainous area and techniques for wind turbine installation are analyzed , which provide useful references to other wind turbine installation work in moun-tainous area .%近年来国内山区风电工程中山越来越高，风机安装难度越来越大，如何在紧张的工期下安全高效的完成风机安装，是每个风电施工企业面临的主要课题。以河北坝上骆驼沟二期风电场为例，对山区风电工程特点和风机吊装技术进行总结分析，以期对更多山区风机安装提供借鉴。

LIDAR Wind Speed Measurements of Evolving Wind Fields

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Simley, E.; Pao, L. Y.

2012-07-01

Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) systems are able to measure the speed of incoming wind before it interacts with a wind turbine rotor. These preview wind measurements can be used in feedforward control systems designed to reduce turbine loads. However, the degree to which such preview-based control techniques can reduce loads by reacting to turbulence depends on how accurately the incoming wind field can be measured. Past studies have assumed Taylor's frozen turbulence hypothesis, which implies that turbulence remains unchanged as it advects downwind at the mean wind speed. With Taylor's hypothesis applied, the only source of wind speed measurement error is distortion caused by the LIDAR. This study introduces wind evolution, characterized by the longitudinal coherence of the wind, to LIDAR measurement simulations to create a more realistic measurement model. A simple model of wind evolution is applied to a frozen wind field used in previous studies to investigate the effects of varying the intensity of wind evolution. LIDAR measurements are also evaluated with a large eddy simulation of a stable boundary layer provided by the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Simulation results show the combined effects of LIDAR errors and wind evolution for realistic turbine-mounted LIDAR measurement scenarios.

Development of large scale wind energy conservation system. Development of control techniques for assembly-type wind power generating systems; Ogata furyoku hatsuden system no kaihatsu. Shugogata furyoku hatsuden system no seigyo gijutsu no kaihatsu

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Takita, M [New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization, Tokyo (Japan)

1994-12-01

Described herein are the results of the FY1994 research program for development of control techniques for assembly-type wind power generating systems. The study on optimum system configuration produces 50 to 100kW wind power units for screening small-size wind power plant types, and, at the same time, surveys performance of commercial units and experiences of 9 makers capable of producing the above units. As a result, 3 MICON`s units (output: 100kW, active YAW control, monopole tower, maximum wind speed: 60m/s) are selected. The study on optimum operational techniques integrates 2 medium-size power units into a power line, showing a service factor of 30.2% on the annual average, monthly varying in a range from 11.8 to 45.0%. These units, installed in Miyako Island, were attacked by 3 typhoons of wind velocity of 25m/s or higher in 1994, and the only damage recorded is that of the anemoscope/anemometer. It is found that No.1 unit is located at a better geographical point than the No.2 unit, to produce a higher output. 3 figs., 3 tabs.

3D turbulence measurements in inhomogeneous boundary layers with three wind LiDARs

Science.gov (United States)

Carbajo Fuertes, Fernando; Valerio Iungo, Giacomo; Porté-Agel, Fernando

2014-05-01

One of the most challenging tasks in atmospheric anemometry is obtaining reliable turbulence measurements of inhomogeneous boundary layers at heights or in locations where is not possible or convenient to install tower-based measurement systems, e.g. mountainous terrain, cities, wind farms, etc. Wind LiDARs are being extensively used for the measurement of averaged vertical wind profiles, but they can only successfully accomplish this task under the limiting conditions of flat terrain and horizontally homogeneous flow. Moreover, it has been shown that common scanning strategies introduce large systematic errors in turbulence measurements, regardless of the characteristics of the flow addressed. From the point of view of research, there exist a variety of techniques and scanning strategies to estimate different turbulence quantities but most of them rely in the combination of raw measurements with atmospheric models. Most of those models are only valid under the assumption of horizontal homogeneity. The limitations stated above can be overcome by a new triple LiDAR technique which uses simultaneous measurements from three intersecting Doppler wind LiDARs. It allows for the reconstruction of the three-dimensional velocity vector in time as well as local velocity gradients without the need of any turbulence model and with minimal assumptions [EGU2013-9670]. The triple LiDAR technique has been applied to the study of the flow over the campus of EPFL in Lausanne (Switzerland). The results show the potential of the technique for the measurement of turbulence in highly complex boundary layer flows. The technique is particularly useful for micrometeorology and wind engineering studies.

Weibull Distribution for Estimating the Parameters and Application of Hilbert Transform in case of a Low Wind Speed at Kolaghat

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P Bhattacharya

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The wind resource varies with of the day and the season of the year and even some extent from year to year. Wind energy has inherent variances and hence it has been expressed by distribution functions. In this paper, we present some methods for estimating Weibull parameters in case of a low wind speed characterization, namely, shape parameter (k, scale parameter (c and characterize the discrete wind data sample by the discrete Hilbert transform. We know that the Weibull distribution is an important distribution especially for reliability and maintainability analysis. The suitable values for both shape parameter and scale parameters of Weibull distribution are important for selecting locations of installing wind turbine generators. The scale parameter of Weibull distribution also important to determine whether a wind farm is good or not. Thereafter the use of discrete Hilbert transform (DHT for wind speed characterization provides a new era of using DHT besides its application in digital signal processing. Basically in this paper, discrete Hilbert transform has been applied to characterize the wind sample data measured on College of Engineering and Management, Kolaghat, East Midnapore, India in January 2011.

Fort Carson Wind Resource Assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Robichaud, R.

2012-10-01

This report focuses on the wind resource assessment, the estimated energy production of wind turbines, and economic potential of a wind turbine project on a ridge in the southeastern portion of the Fort Carson Army base.

Estimating the maritime component of aerosol optical depth and its dependency on surface wind speed using satellite data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Y. Lehahn

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Six years (2003–2008 of satellite measurements of aerosol parameters from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS and surface wind speeds from Quick Scatterometer (QuikSCAT, the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR-E, and the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I, are used to provide a comprehensive perspective on the link between surface wind speed and marine aerosol optical depth over tropical and subtropical oceanic regions. A systematic comparison between the satellite derived fields in these regions allows to: (i separate the relative contribution of wind-induced marine aerosol to the aerosol optical depth; (ii extract an empirical linear equation linking coarse marine aerosol optical depth and wind intensity; and (iii identify a time scale for correlating marine aerosol optical depth and surface wind speed. The contribution of wind induced marine aerosol to aerosol optical depth is found to be dominated by the coarse mode elements. When wind intensity exceeds 4 m/s, coarse marine aerosol optical depth is linearly correlated with the surface wind speed, with a remarkably consistent slope of 0.009±0.002 s/m. A detailed time scale analysis shows that the linear correlation between the fields is well kept within a 12 h time frame, while sharply decreasing when the time lag between measurements is longer. The background aerosol optical depth, associated with aerosols that are not produced in-situ through wind driven processes, can be used for estimating the contributions of terrestrial and biogenic marine aerosol to over-ocean satellite retrievals of aerosol optical depth.

Maximum wind radius estimated by the 50 kt radius: improvement of storm surge forecasting over the western North Pacific

Science.gov (United States)

Takagi, Hiroshi; Wu, Wenjie

2016-03-01

Even though the maximum wind radius (Rmax) is an important parameter in determining the intensity and size of tropical cyclones, it has been overlooked in previous storm surge studies. This study reviews the existing estimation methods for Rmax based on central pressure or maximum wind speed. These over- or underestimate Rmax because of substantial variations in the data, although an average radius can be estimated with moderate accuracy. As an alternative, we propose an Rmax estimation method based on the radius of the 50 kt wind (R50). Data obtained by a meteorological station network in the Japanese archipelago during the passage of strong typhoons, together with the JMA typhoon best track data for 1990-2013, enabled us to derive the following simple equation, Rmax = 0.23 R50. Application to a recent strong typhoon, the 2015 Typhoon Goni, confirms that the equation provides a good estimation of Rmax, particularly when the central pressure became considerably low. Although this new method substantially improves the estimation of Rmax compared to the existing models, estimation errors are unavoidable because of fundamental uncertainties regarding the typhoon's structure or insufficient number of available typhoon data. In fact, a numerical simulation for the 2013 Typhoon Haiyan as well as 2015 Typhoon Goni demonstrates a substantial difference in the storm surge height for different Rmax. Therefore, the variability of Rmax should be taken into account in storm surge simulations (e.g., Rmax = 0.15 R50-0.35 R50), independently of the model used, to minimize the risk of over- or underestimating storm surges. The proposed method is expected to increase the predictability of major storm surges and to contribute to disaster risk management, particularly in the western North Pacific, including countries such as Japan, China, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

Wind Turbine Measurement Technique—an Open Laboratory for Educational Purposes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Knud Ole Helgesen; Hansen, Kurt Schaldemose; Schmidt Paulsen, Uwe

2008-01-01

operational parameters, (ii) meteorological onditions, (iii) electrical quantities and (iv) mechanical loads. The data acquisition system was PC based, and it was combined with a MySQL® database for data management.The system enabled online access for real-time recordings,which were used both...... of non-commercial time series, which would be available for practicing fatigue calculations and extreme load estimation in basic wind turbine courses. Power quality analysis was carried out based on high-speed-sampled, three-phase voltage and current signals. The wide spectrum of sensors enabled....... The WTMLAB was included in a new course entitled Wind Turbine Measurement Techniques....

Actuator disk model of wind farms based on the rotor average wind speed

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Han, Xing Xing; Xu, Chang; Liu, De You

2016-01-01

Due to difficulty of estimating the reference wind speed for wake modeling in wind farm, this paper proposes a new method to calculate the momentum source based on the rotor average wind speed. The proposed model applies volume correction factor to reduce the influence of the mesh recognition of ...

Generation of the lower-thermospheric vertical wind estimated with the EISCAT KST radar at high latitudes during periods of moderate geomagnetic disturbance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Oyama

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Lower-thermospheric winds at high latitudes during moderately-disturbed geomagnetic conditions were studied using data obtained with the European Incoherent Scatter (EISCAT Kiruna-Sodankylä-Tromsø (KST ultrahigh frequency (UHF radar system on 9–10 September 2004. The antenna-beam configuration was newly designed to minimize the estimated measurement error of the vertical neutral-wind speed in the lower thermosphere. This method was also available to estimate the meridional and zonal components. The vertical neutral-wind speed at 109 km, 114 km, and 120 km heights showed large upward motions in excess of 30 m s−1 in association with an ionospheric heating event. Large downward speeds in excess of −30 m s−1 were also observed before and after the heating event. The meridional neutral-wind speed suddenly changed its direction from equatorward to poleward when the heating event began, and then returned equatorward coinciding with a decrease in the heating event. The magnetometer data from northern Scandinavia suggested that the center of the heated region was located about 80 km equatorward of Tromsø. The pressure gradient caused the lower-thermospheric wind to accelerate obliquely upward over Tromsø in the poleward direction. Acceleration of the neutral wind flowing on a vertically tilted isobar produced vertical wind speeds larger by more than two orders of magnitude than previously predicted, but still an order of magnitude smaller than observed speeds.

Generation of the lower-thermospheric vertical wind estimated with the EISCAT KST radar at high latitudes during periods of moderate geomagnetic disturbance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Oyama

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Lower-thermospheric winds at high latitudes during moderately-disturbed geomagnetic conditions were studied using data obtained with the European Incoherent Scatter (EISCAT Kiruna-Sodankylä-Tromsø (KST ultrahigh frequency (UHF radar system on 9–10 September 2004. The antenna-beam configuration was newly designed to minimize the estimated measurement error of the vertical neutral-wind speed in the lower thermosphere. This method was also available to estimate the meridional and zonal components. The vertical neutral-wind speed at 109 km, 114 km, and 120 km heights showed large upward motions in excess of 30 m s⁻¹ in association with an ionospheric heating event. Large downward speeds in excess of −30 m s⁻¹ were also observed before and after the heating event. The meridional neutral-wind speed suddenly changed its direction from equatorward to poleward when the heating event began, and then returned equatorward coinciding with a decrease in the heating event. The magnetometer data from northern Scandinavia suggested that the center of the heated region was located about 80 km equatorward of Tromsø. The pressure gradient caused the lower-thermospheric wind to accelerate obliquely upward over Tromsø in the poleward direction. Acceleration of the neutral wind flowing on a vertically tilted isobar produced vertical wind speeds larger by more than two orders of magnitude than previously predicted, but still an order of magnitude smaller than observed speeds.

Wind Speed Perception and Risk

Science.gov (United States)

Agdas, Duzgun; Webster, Gregory D.; Masters, Forrest J.

2012-01-01

Background How accurately do people perceive extreme wind speeds and how does that perception affect the perceived risk? Prior research on human–wind interaction has focused on comfort levels in urban settings or knock-down thresholds. No systematic experimental research has attempted to assess people's ability to estimate extreme wind speeds and perceptions of their associated risks. Method We exposed 76 people to 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 mph (4.5, 8.9, 13.4, 17.9, 22.3, and 26.8 m/s) winds in randomized orders and asked them to estimate wind speed and the corresponding risk they felt. Results Multilevel modeling showed that people were accurate at lower wind speeds but overestimated wind speeds at higher levels. Wind speed perceptions mediated the direct relationship between actual wind speeds and perceptions of risk (i.e., the greater the perceived wind speed, the greater the perceived risk). The number of tropical cyclones people had experienced moderated the strength of the actual–perceived wind speed relationship; consequently, mediation was stronger for people who had experienced fewer storms. Conclusion These findings provide a clearer understanding of wind and risk perception, which can aid development of public policy solutions toward communicating the severity and risks associated with natural disasters. PMID:23226230

Wind speed perception and risk.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Duzgun Agdas

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: How accurately do people perceive extreme wind speeds and how does that perception affect the perceived risk? Prior research on human-wind interaction has focused on comfort levels in urban settings or knock-down thresholds. No systematic experimental research has attempted to assess people's ability to estimate extreme wind speeds and perceptions of their associated risks. METHOD: We exposed 76 people to 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 mph (4.5, 8.9, 13.4, 17.9, 22.3, and 26.8 m/s winds in randomized orders and asked them to estimate wind speed and the corresponding risk they felt. RESULTS: Multilevel modeling showed that people were accurate at lower wind speeds but overestimated wind speeds at higher levels. Wind speed perceptions mediated the direct relationship between actual wind speeds and perceptions of risk (i.e., the greater the perceived wind speed, the greater the perceived risk. The number of tropical cyclones people had experienced moderated the strength of the actual-perceived wind speed relationship; consequently, mediation was stronger for people who had experienced fewer storms. CONCLUSION: These findings provide a clearer understanding of wind and risk perception, which can aid development of public policy solutions toward communicating the severity and risks associated with natural disasters.

Wind speed perception and risk.

Science.gov (United States)

Agdas, Duzgun; Webster, Gregory D; Masters, Forrest J

2012-01-01

How accurately do people perceive extreme wind speeds and how does that perception affect the perceived risk? Prior research on human-wind interaction has focused on comfort levels in urban settings or knock-down thresholds. No systematic experimental research has attempted to assess people's ability to estimate extreme wind speeds and perceptions of their associated risks. We exposed 76 people to 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 mph (4.5, 8.9, 13.4, 17.9, 22.3, and 26.8 m/s) winds in randomized orders and asked them to estimate wind speed and the corresponding risk they felt. Multilevel modeling showed that people were accurate at lower wind speeds but overestimated wind speeds at higher levels. Wind speed perceptions mediated the direct relationship between actual wind speeds and perceptions of risk (i.e., the greater the perceived wind speed, the greater the perceived risk). The number of tropical cyclones people had experienced moderated the strength of the actual-perceived wind speed relationship; consequently, mediation was stronger for people who had experienced fewer storms. These findings provide a clearer understanding of wind and risk perception, which can aid development of public policy solutions toward communicating the severity and risks associated with natural disasters.

Estimate-Merge-Technique-based algorithms to track an underwater ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

D V A N Ravi Kumar

2017-07-04

Jul 4, 2017 ... In this paper, two novel methods based on the Estimate Merge Technique ... mentioned advantages of the proposed novel methods is shown by carrying out Monte Carlo simulation in .... equations are converted to sequential equations to make ... estimation error and low convergence time) at feasibly high.

Conceptual Model of Offshore Wind Environmental Risk Evaluation System

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anderson, Richard M.; Copping, Andrea E.; Van Cleve, Frances B.; Unwin, Stephen D.; Hamilton, Erin L.

2010-06-01

In this report we describe the development of the Environmental Risk Evaluation System (ERES), a risk-informed analytical process for estimating the environmental risks associated with the construction and operation of offshore wind energy generation projects. The development of ERES for offshore wind is closely allied to a concurrent process undertaken to examine environmental effects of marine and hydrokinetic (MHK) energy generation, although specific risk-relevant attributes will differ between the MHK and offshore wind domains. During FY10, a conceptual design of ERES for offshore wind will be developed. The offshore wind ERES mockup described in this report will provide a preview of the functionality of a fully developed risk evaluation system that will use risk assessment techniques to determine priority stressors on aquatic organisms and environments from specific technology aspects, identify key uncertainties underlying high-risk issues, compile a wide-range of data types in an innovative and flexible data organizing scheme, and inform planning and decision processes with a transparent and technically robust decision-support tool. A fully functional version of ERES for offshore wind will be developed in a subsequent phase of the project.

Stochastic PSO-based heat and power dispatch under environmental constraints incorporating CHP and wind power units

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Piperagkas, G.S.; Anastasiadis, A.G.; Hatziargyriou, N.D. [National Technical University of Athens, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Electric Power Division, 9, Iroon Polytechneiou Str., GR-15773 Zografou, Athens (Greece)

2011-01-15

In this paper an extended stochastic multi-objective model for economic dispatch (ED) is proposed, that incorporates in the optimization process heat and power from CHP units and expected wind power. Stochastic restrictions for the CO{sub 2}, SO{sub 2} and NO{sub x} emissions are used as inequality constraints. The ED problem is solved using a multi-objective particle swarm optimization technique. The available wind power is estimated from a transformation of the wind speed considered as a random variable to wind power. Simulations are performed on the modified IEEE 30 bus network with 2 cogeneration units and actual wind data. Results concerning minimum cost and emissions reduction options are finally drawn. (author)

Parameter estimation techniques and uncertainty in ground water flow model predictions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zimmerman, D.A.; Davis, P.A.

1990-01-01

Quantification of uncertainty in predictions of nuclear waste repository performance is a requirement of Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulations governing the licensing of proposed geologic repositories for high-level radioactive waste disposal. One of the major uncertainties in these predictions is in estimating the ground-water travel time of radionuclides migrating from the repository to the accessible environment. The cause of much of this uncertainty has been attributed to a lack of knowledge about the hydrogeologic properties that control the movement of radionuclides through the aquifers. A major reason for this lack of knowledge is the paucity of data that is typically available for characterizing complex ground-water flow systems. Because of this, considerable effort has been put into developing parameter estimation techniques that infer property values in regions where no measurements exist. Currently, no single technique has been shown to be superior or even consistently conservative with respect to predictions of ground-water travel time. This work was undertaken to compare a number of parameter estimation techniques and to evaluate how differences in the parameter estimates and the estimation errors are reflected in the behavior of the flow model predictions. That is, we wished to determine to what degree uncertainties in flow model predictions may be affected simply by the choice of parameter estimation technique used. 3 refs., 2 figs

Remote sensing for wind power potential: a prospector's handbook

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wade, J.E.; Maule, P.A.; Bodvarsson, G.; Rosenfeld, C.L.; Woolley, S.G.; McClenahan, M.R.

1983-02-01

Remote sensing can aid in identifying and locating indicators of wind power potential from the terrestrial, marine, and atmospheric environments (i.e.: wind-deformed trees, white caps, and areas of thermal flux). It is not considered as a tool for determining wind power potential. A wide variety of remotely sensed evidence is described in terms of the scale at which evidence of wind power can be identified, and the appropriate remote sensors for finding such evidence. Remote sensing can be used for regional area prospecting using small-scale imagery. The information from such small-scale imagery is most often qualitative, and if it is transitory, examination of a number of images to verify presistence of the feature may be required. However, this evidence will allow rapid screening of a large area. Medium-scale imagery provides a better picture of the evidence obtained from small-scale imagery. At this level it is best to use existing imagery. Criteria relating to land use, accessibility, and proximity of candidate sites to nearby transmission lines can also be effectively evaluated from medium-scale imagery. Large-scale imagery provides the most quantitative evidence of the strength of wind. Wind-deformed trees can be identified at a large number of sites using only a few hours in locally chartered aircraft. A handheld 35mm camera can adequately document any evidence of wind. Three case studies that employ remote sensing prospecting techniques are described. Based on remotely sensed evidence, the wind power potential in three geographically and climatically diverse areas of the United States is estimated, and the estimates are compared to actual wind data in those regions. In addition, the cost of each survey is discussed. The results indicate that remote sensing for wind power potential is a quick, cost effective, and fairly reliable method for screening large areas for wind power potential.

Prototype bucket foundation for wind turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ibsen, Lars Bo; Liingaard, Morten

The first full scale prototype bucket foundation for wind turbines has been installed in October 2002 at Aalborg University offshore test facility in Frederikshavn, Denmark. The suction caisson and the wind turbine have been equipped with an online monitoring system, consisting of 15 accelerometers...... and a real-time data-acquisition system. The report concerns the in service performance of the wind turbine, with focus on estimation of the natural frequencies of the structure/foundation. The natural frequencies are initially estimated by means of experimental Output-only Modal analysis. The experimental...... estimates are then compared with numerical simulations of the suction caisson foundation and the wind turbine. The numerical model consists of a finite element section for the wind turbine tower and nacelle. The soil-structure interaction of the soil-foundation section is modelled by lumped-parameter models...

Wind Turbines Adaptation to the Variability of the Wind Field

Science.gov (United States)

Ulianov, Yuriy; Martynenko, Gennadii; Misaylov, Vitaliy; Soliannikova, Iuliia

2010-05-01

WIND TURBINES ADAPTATION TO THE VARIABILITY OF THE WIND FIELD The subject of our scientific research is wind power turbines (WPT) with the horizontal axis which were now common in the world. Efficient wind turbines work is largely determined by non-stationarity of the wind field, expressed in its gustiness, the presence of vertical and horizontal shifts of wind speed and direction. At critical values of the wind parameters WPT has aerodynamic and mechanical overload, leading to breakdowns, premature wear and reduce the life of the wind turbine. To prevent accidents at the peak values of wind speed it is used the regulatory system of windwheels. WPT control systems provide a process orientation of the wind turbine rotor axis in the line of the mean wind. Wind turbines are also equipped with braking device used to protect against breakdowns when a significant increase in the wind. In general, all these methods of regulation are not always effective. Thus, in practice there may be situations when the wind speed is many times greater than the stated limit. For example, if there are microbursts in the atmospheric boundary layer, low-level wind shears caused by its gust front, storms, etc. It is required for a wind power turbine adaptation to intensive short-term wind impulses and considerable vertical wind shifts that the data about them shall be obtained ahead of time. To do this it is necessary to have the information on the real structure of the wind field in the area of the blade sweep for the minimum range against the wind that is determined by the mean speed and the system action time. The implementation of acoustic and laser traditional wind sounding systems is limited by ambient acoustic noise, by heavy rain, snowfall and by fog. There are free of these disadvantages the inclined radioacoustic sounding (IRASS) technique which works for a system of remote detection and control of wind gusts. IRASS technique is realized as low-potential Doppler pulse radar

Integration of wind power in the Danish generation system. EC wind power penetration study, phase 2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1989-06-01

The Commission of the European Communities has asked utilities in the member countries to carry out a coordinated study of the wind energy potential. The main objective is to show the consequences for the future electricity system when integrating wind power production covering 5, 10 or 15% of total demand. In addition to the best estimate scenario believed to be operational, some additional calculations have been carried out: wind power production as a negative load only (not operational for the total system); different levels of investment in wind farms. The methodology is based on the following steps: define a reference scenario for year 2000; define an alternative scenario with a certain amount of wind power production; calculate time-series for electrical load and district heating from combined heat/power production; calculate time-series for wind power production; make economic evaluation and sensitivity analysis; show environmental differences. Incorporation of wind power into the ELSAM power system, with the wind energy meeting, about 5% of demand will give rise to additional control capacity, or call for new contracts with neighbouring countries. The study includes estimated network investments. The simulations have been made with the SIM and SLUMP computer programmes. The economic analyses and the sensitivity analyses have been carried out using spreadsheets. The conclusion concerning profitability - based on the best estimate assumptions - is that the studied wind power scenarios are unprofitable. (EG)

Computer modelling of the UK wind energy resource: UK wind speed data package and user manual

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Burch, S F; Ravenscroft, F

1993-12-31

A software package has been developed for IBM-PC or true compatibles. It is designed to provide easy access to the results of a programme of work to estimate the UK wind energy resource. Mean wind speed maps and quantitative resource estimates were obtained using the NOABL mesoscale (1 km resolution) numerical model for the prediction of wind flow over complex terrain. NOABL was used in conjunction with digitised terrain data and wind data from surface meteorological stations for a ten year period (1975-1984) to provide digital UK maps of mean wind speed at 10m, 25m and 45m above ground level. Also included in the derivation of these maps was the use of the Engineering Science Data Unit (ESDU) method to model the effect on wind speed of the abrupt change in surface roughness that occurs at the coast. With the wind speed software package, the user is able to obtain a display of the modelled wind speed at 10m, 25m and 45m above ground level for any location in the UK. The required co-ordinates are simply supplied by the user, and the package displays the selected wind speed. This user manual summarises the methodology used in the generation of these UK maps and shows computer generated plots of the 25m wind speeds in 200 x 200 km regions covering the whole UK. The uncertainties inherent in the derivation of these maps are also described, and notes given on their practical usage. The present study indicated that 23% of the UK land area had speeds over 6 m/s, with many hill sites having 10m speeds over 10 m/s. It is concluded that these `first order` resource estimates represent a substantial improvement over the presently available `zero order` estimates. (18 figures, 3 tables, 6 references). (author)

Estimate of airborne release of plutonium from Babcock and Wilcox plant as a result of severe wind hazard and earthquake

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mishima, J.; Schwendiman, L.C.; Ayer, J.E.

1978-10-01

As part of an interdisciplinary study to evaluate the potential radiological consequences of wind hazard and earthquake upon existing commercial mixed oxide fuel fabrication plants, the potential mass airborne releases of plutonium (source terms) from such events are estimated. The estimated souce terms are based upon the fraction of enclosures damaged to three levels of severity (crush, puncture penetrate, and loss of external filter, in order of decreasing severity), called damage ratio, and the airborne release if all enclosures suffered that level of damage. The discussion of damage scenarios and source terms is divided into wind hazard and earthquake scenarios in order of increasing severity. The largest airborne releases from the building were for cases involving the catastrophic collapse of the roof over the major production areas--wind hazard at 110 mph and earthquakes with peak ground accelerations of 0.20 to 0.29 g. Wind hazards at higher air velocities and earthquakes with higher ground acceleration do not result in significantly greater source terms. The source terms were calculated as additional mass of respirable particles released with time up to 4 days; and, under these assumptions, approximately 98% of the mass of material of concern is made airborne from 2 h to 4 days after the event. The overall building source terms from the damage scenarios evaluated are shown in a table. The contribution of individual areas to the overall building source term is presented in order of increasing severity for wind hazard and earthquake

Wind Integration Data Sets | Grid Modernization | NREL

Science.gov (United States)

Wind Integration Data Sets Wind Integration Data Sets NREL's wind integration data sets provide the Integration Data Sets Ten-minute time-series wind data for 2004, 2005, and 2006 to help energy professionals perform wind integration studies and estimate power production from hypothetical wind power plants. Access

Estimations of Kappa parameter using quasi-thermal noise spectroscopy: Applications on Wind spacecraft

Science.gov (United States)

Martinović, M.

2017-12-01

Quasi-thermal noise (QTN) spectroscopy is an accurate technique for in situ measurements of electron density and temperature in space plasmas. The QTN spectrum has a characteristic noise peak just above the plasma frequency produced by electron quasi-thermal fluctuations, which allows a very accurate measurement of the electron density. The size and shape of the peak are determined by suprathermal electrons. Since this nonthermal electron population is well described by a generalized Lorentzian - Kappa velocity distribution, it is possible to determinate the distribution properties in the solar wind from a measured spectrum. In this work, we discuss some basic properties of the QTN spectrum dependence of the Kappa distribution parameters - total electron density, temperature and the Kappa index, giving an overview on how instrument characteristics and environment conditions affect quality of the measurements. Further on, we aim to apply the method to Wind Thermal Noise Receiver (TNR) measurements. However, the spectra observed by this instrument usually contain contributions from nonthermal phenomena, like ion acoustic waves below, or galactic noise above the plasma frequency. This is why, besides comparison of the theory with observations, work with Wind data requires development of a sophisticated algorithm that distinguish parts of the spectra that are dominated by the QTN, and therefore can be used in our study. Postulates of this algorithm, as well as major results of its implementation, are also presented.

Estimated airborne release of plutonium from Westinghouse Cheswick site as a result of postulated damage from severe wind and seismic hazard

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mishima, J.; Schwendiman, L.C.; Ayer, J.E.

1979-06-01

The potential airborne releases of plutonium (source terms) from postulated damage sustained by the Westinghouse Plutonium Fuel Development Laboratories at the Cheswick site in Pennsylvania as a result of various levels of wind and seismic hazard are estimated. The source terms are based on damage scenarios originated by other specialists and range up to 260 mph for wind hazard and in excess of 0.39 g ground acceleration for seismic hazard. The approaches and factors used to estimate the source terms (inventories of dispersible materials at risk, damage levels and ratios, fractional airborne releases of dispersible materials under stress, atmosphere exchange rates, and source term ranges) are discussed. Source term estimates range from less than 10 -7 g plutonium to greater than 130 g plutonium over a four-day period

Wind erosion on Deliblato (the largest European continental sandy terrain) studied using 210Pbex and 137Cs measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krmar, M.; Hansman, J.; Todorovic, N.; Mihailovic, A.; Vucinic-Vasic, M.; Savic, R.

2015-01-01

The objective of this paper is to estimate the difference in wind erosion between two extreme situations: sandy soil permanently covered by grass and the nearby frequently ploughed area highly susceptible to wind erosion. The spatial pattern of soil erosion rate was investigated using 137 Cs and 210 Pb ex tracing technique. The spatial pattern of erosion rate obtained within the studied area reveal influence of topography as well as direction of prevailing winds on mobilization and transport of the soil particles. (author)

A nonlinear dynamics approach for incorporating wind-speed patterns into wind-power project evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Huffaker, Ray; Bittelli, Marco

2015-01-01

Wind-energy production may be expanded beyond regions with high-average wind speeds (such as the Midwest U.S.A.) to sites with lower-average speeds (such as the Southeast U.S.A.) by locating favorable regional matches between natural wind-speed and energy-demand patterns. A critical component of wind-power evaluation is to incorporate wind-speed dynamics reflecting documented diurnal and seasonal behavioral patterns. Conventional probabilistic approaches remove patterns from wind-speed data. These patterns must be restored synthetically before they can be matched with energy-demand patterns. How to accurately restore wind-speed patterns is a vexing problem spurring an expanding line of papers. We propose a paradigm shift in wind power evaluation that employs signal-detection and nonlinear-dynamics techniques to empirically diagnose whether synthetic pattern restoration can be avoided altogether. If the complex behavior of observed wind-speed records is due to nonlinear, low-dimensional, and deterministic system dynamics, then nonlinear dynamics techniques can reconstruct wind-speed dynamics from observed wind-speed data without recourse to conventional probabilistic approaches. In the first study of its kind, we test a nonlinear dynamics approach in an application to Sugarland Wind-the first utility-scale wind project proposed in Florida, USA. We find empirical evidence of a low-dimensional and nonlinear wind-speed attractor characterized by strong temporal patterns that match up well with regular daily and seasonal electricity demand patterns.

China: an emerging offshore wind development hotspot. With a new assessment of China's offshore wind potential

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reinvang, Rasmus; Enslow, Rachel; Beaumont, Hubert

2010-08-15

This study provides new and more detailed estimates of the offshore wind energy resources in China, with particular focus on Southern China. The study points out that the offshore wind industry is ramping up in China with at least 11.9GW in the development pipeline per April 2010. The study estimates the offshore wind potential of China (excluding Taiwan) to 11,580TWh/year. The study proves estimates and wind energy resource maps per province. Fujian, Zhejiang and Hainan stand out with the highest offshore wind speeds in China while Guangdong also shows significant potential, with annual wind speed averages of 6.5-10.2m/s and an energy density range of 12-36GWh/km2. Even though current offshore wind development is mainly taking place in Fujian and Jiangsu, this study shows that the potential is likely even greater in other provinces. The study was developed by the Chinese Wind Energy Association (CWEA) and Sun Yat-sen University, and commissioned by WWF as part of a project funded by the Norwegian Agency of development Coopeartion (Norad). Methodology and constraints: The wind resource analysis improves upon previous studies in estimating the wind energy generation potential for offshore wind power in China, with available meteorological data adjusted for influence of typhoons. The study models how much energy offshore wind can produce along China's coast up to 100km from the shore by calculating the energy output of theoretical wind farms by applying the power curve of a 3MW turbine at a 100m hub height. In addition the study further expands by giving special consideration to the deep-sea offshore potential at +50m water depths. The study focuses particularly on the coastline from Shandong down to Hainan. The final results provide good indication of the offshore wind resource in China when comparing one area to the other. The report can therefore be used as a preliminary tool to identifying most interesting provinces and locations for offshore wind

Capacity factor of wind power realized values vs. estimates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boccard, Nicolas

2009-01-01

For two decades now, the capacity factor of wind power measuring the average energy delivered has been assumed in the 30-35% range of the name plate capacity. Yet, the mean realized value for Europe over the last five years is below 21%; accordingly private cost is two-third higher and the reduction of carbon emissions is 40% less than previously expected. We document this discrepancy and offer rationalizations that emphasize the long term variations of wind speeds, the behavior of the wind power industry, political interference and the mode of finance. We conclude with the consequences of the capacity factor miscalculation and some policy recommendations.

Power Management Based Current Control Technique for Photovoltaic-Battery Assisted Wind-Hydro Hybrid System

Science.gov (United States)

Ram Prabhakar, J.; Ragavan, K.

2013-07-01

This article proposes new power management based current control strategy for integrated wind-solar-hydro system equipped with battery storage mechanism. In this control technique, an indirect estimation of load current is done, through energy balance model, DC-link voltage control and droop control. This system features simpler energy management strategy and necessitates few power electronic converters, thereby minimizing the cost of the system. The generation-demand (G-D) management diagram is formulated based on the stochastic weather conditions and demand, which would likely moderate the gap between both. The features of management strategy deploying energy balance model include (1) regulating DC-link voltage within specified tolerances, (2) isolated operation without relying on external electric power transmission network, (3) indirect current control of hydro turbine driven induction generator and (4) seamless transition between grid-connected and off-grid operation modes. Furthermore, structuring of the hybrid system with appropriate selection of control variables enables power sharing among each energy conversion systems and battery storage mechanism. By addressing these intricacies, it is viable to regulate the frequency and voltage of the remote network at load end. The performance of the proposed composite scheme is demonstrated through time-domain simulation in MATLAB/Simulink environment.

Energy Output Estimation for a Small Wind Turbine Positioned on a Rooftop in the Urban Environment with and without a Duct

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)