1. Maximising wind turbine annual energy yields
whilst minimising additional loading is a key consideration
especially in offshore environments. Additional blade loads result
in higher loadings on the hub, tower and foundations, hence
resulting in additional overall turbine costs and potentially
reduced availability. The basic principles of the design of a low
induction rotor were investigated in this project whilst accounting
for the effects on loads, rotor diameter and power output. The
project objective was to produce a rotor design that for a given
wind speed maximises the energy capture but without increasing
the bending moments. Load reduction is particularly applicable
to offshore wind turbines where access for maintenance is a
significant issue. A small reduction in efficiency of power capture
would be worth an increase in availability. The intention is to
increase the power generated whilst keeping the loads constant.
2. This paper seeks to determine whether or not
predictions of power output from power system modellers are
currently accurate enough. For predicting the power output of a
single wind turbine, how accurate is the standard power systems
method which uses a power curve based on hourly wind speed
data? Three alternative methods are proposed for predicting the
power output time series. Each method uses a wind simulation
to produce a turbulent wind field for use in a simulation of
the turbine’s operation. The first model uses Bladed software,
the second a turbine simulation in Simulink, and the third a
power curve with high resolution wind speed data. An effective
wind speed model is used for the second and third models. The
conclusion reached is that the power curve using high resolution
data gives the required accuracy for power systems analysis.
Moreover, when compared to the other two options, the power
curve with high resolution data requires less computation time for
analysis when compared to the Bladed and turbine simulation
models. A constrained power network is used to estimate the
effect of both the high resolution and standard power systems
methods on the expected curtailment, and finds that the standard
method underestimates by around 12%. It is thus concluded that
it is possible that the use of a standard power systems method
could affect estimates of curtailment. This could have implications
for network management, and could also affect estimates of the
economics of wind projects with a non-firm connection.
| Date of Award | 23 Sept 2025 |
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| Original language | English |
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| Awarding Institution | - University Of Strathclyde
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| Sponsors | EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council) |
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| Supervisor | Bill Leithead (Supervisor) & James Carroll (Supervisor) |
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