Wind Turbine Vortex Generators

July 2014

Email us: sales@upwindsolutions.comCall us: +1 866 927 3142Website: www.upwindsolutions.com

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Wind Turbine Vortex Generator Partnership

UpWind SolutionsLeading North American serviceprovider with full range of O&M services and asset enhancements

Smart BladeGerman engineering firm specializing in wind turbine aerodynamics & blade design

3MAmerican multinational corporation with products in adhesives, abrasives, laminates, passive fire protection, dental, electronic materials, electronic circuits, and optical films

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Wind Turbine Vortex Generators

Numerical simulations in combination with experimental validation is used to optimize blade performance

How we have resolved it with VGs

Complex 3D & separated flows on wind turbines are not fully understood Local flow separation Strong cross-flows Power loss Revenue loss

The industry challenge

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Industry Leading Vortex Generator Solution

Process Feature Significance & Value

Slight V-shape installation line

Accurately traces flow separation line for optimized performance

Fixed and repeatable measurement points and use of installationtemplates

Optimal and accurate placement of the VGs to ensure aerodynamic balance

Technology specific custom designed VGs and installation pattern

Maximizing energy yield potential for every technology

Advanced 3M™ Acrylic Foam Tape adhesive with superior longevity

Inherent ability to accommodate dynamic blade movements and thermodynamic expansion/contraction

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Recapturing Lost Energy with Vortex Generators

• Vortex generators re-energize areas of the blade that have stalled out• The flow remains attached for higher inflow angles (stall delay)• Dual benefits: lift increase and drag reduction

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Every Blade is Unique

AEP increase is maximized by:

1. Gaining a deep understanding of the blade flow characteristics at over 400 locations at various rotor speeds

2. Using the data gathered to develop statistical models to maximize stall delay and minimize drag

3. Using the analysis to design a custom installation pattern for each blade type

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Expected Turbine Performance Improvement Results

VGs can deliver up to 3% extra energy yield

• With modern turbines, there is no degradation of performance when pitching

• Improves turbine performance throughout pre-pitching wind regime

• Performance increase is most dramatic at sites with wind speed distributions skewed toward cut-in

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Expected Turbine Performance Improvement Results

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Importance of Accurate Data Analysis

In order to accurately estimate an increase in AEP or measure the effects on AEP post installation, two measurement campaigns have to be completed. Both campaigns are identical except that in the second the WTG is equipped with VGs. The workflow of the measurement campaign has several stages to ensure data integrity (accuracy, reliability, validity) and that one is comparing apples to apples when attributing AEP effects to VGperformance.

VG AEP Measurement

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VG ROI Analysis

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Online Resources and Next Step

Case Study 1 The 1st case study presents a complete before and after performance analysis of VG installations on a sample site. http://academy.upwindsolutions.com/vg-case-study

Case Study 2 The 2nd case study analyzes data and lessons learned from 22,000 individual VG installations and proving the ROI of UpWind’s VG Solution. http://academy.upwindsolutions.com/proving-value-of-vortex-generators

Webinar Windpower Engineering and Development hosted a VG webinar with guest speakers from UpWind Solutions and Smart Blade. Watch the recorded webinar.http://academy.upwindsolutions.com/vortex-generator-webinar

1. Site Topography Map with numbered turbines 2. 1-10 second interval performance data for previous two years with the following tags:• nacelle wind speed• power• status (aka online, available, faulted, etc.)• nacelle position (or nacelle wind direction)

3. Met Mast data for previous two years:• wind speed• wind direction• ambient temperature• atmospheric pressure

Information Required for AEP Analysis