SWEPT2

5b3af03a-9ba5-452b-b02c-d9c46f631b86

Closed

EPSRC
EPSRC
EPSRC
EPSRC
EPSRC

£196,490

April 30, 2015

April 30, 2018

The SWEPT2 project aims to develop a sophisticated tool for modelling of wind turbine wakes and wake interactions. It is
well known that present wake models are inadequate, especially for application to large offshore wind farms, and have led
to wind farm designs with larger than expected wake losses. Improved wake models are essential for improved wind farm
designs with improved energy yield. Validation of wake models is critical but difficult to undertake at full scale. By making
use of LIDAR and full size turbines, the project aims to collect data on wakes that will provide confidence in the validation
process. However LIDAR data is not without its own technical challenges, mainly related to data dropout due at times to
inadequate back-scatter from aerosol particles. Strathclyde has experience of LIDAR measurement of wind turbine wakes
both onshore and offshore and will apply the methods previously developed to provide high quality data sets to be used for
model validation within the consortium. There are different ways in which flow field measurements and CDF calculations
can be compared to assess the quality of wake models; the Strathclyde team will apply methods previously developed and
shown to be effective to the SWEPT2 validation.

Potential Impact:
The UK offshore wind sector is projected to grow to £8bn annually by 2020 so the economic benefits estimated to result
from the new wake modelling tool, at over 1% of project costs, could be considerable across the UK investment.
Research results will be communicated through the ORE Catapult (a project partners ideally suited to this) and publication
in the relevant journals.