Nonlinear Phenomena in Complex Systems, 2008, Vol.11, No.2, pp.158-163

NONLINEAR PHENOMENA IN COMPLEX SYSTEMS
An Interdisciplinary Journal

2008, Vol.11, No.2, pp.158-163

On the Relevance of Basic Hydrodynamics to Wind Energy Technology.
Alexander Rauh

This report is concerned with the power output assessment of modern wind turbines (WT), and with proposals to improve present assessment methods. The three issues addressed are based on nonlinear hydrodynamics: (i) Wind turbine performance under idealized stationary wind fields; (ii) The delayed response of wind turbines in a turbulent wind field; (iii) The question of whether an universal upper limit of the power coefficient can be derived. The first two points are discussed within heuristic concepts. In (iii), the Betz limit of the power coefficient of WT's is examined within the Euler equations of hydrodynamics; this resumes an old controversy.
Key words: power curve, dynamic response, Betz limit

Full text: Acrobat PDF (869KB)