Date of Award
Spring 2013
Project Type
Thesis
Program or Major
Mechanical Engineering
Degree Name
Master of Science
First Advisor
Martin Wosnik
Abstract
An experimental investigation of the axial and azimuthal (swirl) velocity field in the wake of a single 3-bladed wind turbine with rotor diameter of 0.91m was conducted, up to 20 diameters downstream. The turbine was positioned in the free stream, near the entrance of the 6m x 2.7m cross section of the University of New Hampshire (UNH) Flow Physics Facility. Velocity measurements were conducted at different rotor loading conditions with blade tip-speed ratios from 2.0 to 2.8. A Pitot-static tube and constant temperature hot-wire anemometer with a multi-wire sensor were used to measure velocity fields. An equilibrium similarity theory for the turbulent axisymmetric wake with rotation was outlined, and first evidence for a new scaling function for the mean swirling velocity component, Wmax ∝ x-1 ∝ U3/2o a was found; where W represents swirl, x represents downstream distance, and Uo, represents the centerline velocity deficit in the wake.
Recommended Citation
Dufresne, Nathaniel P., "Experimental investigation of the turbulent axisymmetric wake with rotation generated by a wind turbine" (2013). Master's Theses and Capstones. 784.
https://scholars.unh.edu/thesis/784