Characterizing a Wind Energy Converter's Wake in distinct ABL Conditions by means of Long-Range Lidar Measurements in the Context of the Perdigão 2017 Experiment

As the resource wind is increasingly exploited to produce electricity, wind energy converter (WEC) deployment relocates to more complex terrain such as hilltops or mountain ridges. In that context, it is crucial to understand the interaction between the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) flow and the WEC in order to predict downstream flow characteristics. In the context of the Perdigão 2017 experiment, the German Aerospace Center (DLR) performed full-scale wake measurements on a single WEC of type Enercon E82 with three Leosphere Windcube 200S long-range scanning lidar systems. The experimental setup covers two parallel ridges 1.4 km apart, separated by a 200 m deep valley. The ridges are oriented in NW-SE direction, perpendicular to main wind direction, which is SW. Two of the three scanning lidar systems are positioned downstream of the WEC in line with main wind direction to span a vertical plane, perpendicular to the ridges, with RHI scans. This allows investigating wake events with single or dual-doppler lidar techniques. The third lidar system, which is positioned along the WEC ridge, is used to measure the wake position outside the before mentioned measurement plane. Wake events in three different ABL regimes (neutral, stable and convective) are evaluated with respect to wake position, dispersion, propagation and the wind-speed deficit. It is found that wake position and propagation are strongly influenced by the atmospheric stability, forcing the wake to deviate from hub height, migrating to higher levels for convective regimes. For stable ABL conditions wakes descend into the valley, and are clearly detectable up to at least eight rotor diameters downstream of the WEC. The coplanar scanning strategy furthermore allows to calculate the two-dimensional wind vector in the vertical scanning plane, indicating that vertical wind components with up to 2 ms-1 play an important role in the interaction between ABL flow and WEC. With the help of the third lidar system on the WEC ridge, wake meandering can be quantified. The presentation will provide a thorough analysis of three exemplary measurement days.