Showing papers on "Wind shear published in 2012"

A numerical study of the effects of atmospheric and wake turbulence on wind turbine dynamics

Abstract: Although the atmospheric sciences community has been studying the effects of atmospheric stability and surface roughness on the planetary boundary layer for some time, their effects on wind turbine dynamics have not been well studied. In this study, we performed numerical experiments to explore some of the effects of atmospheric stability and surface roughness on wind turbine dynamics. We used large-eddy simulation to create atmospheric winds and compute the wind turbine flows, and we modeled the wind turbines as revolving and flexible actuator lines coupled to a wind turbine structural and system dynamic model. We examined the structural moments about the wind turbine blade, low-speed shaft, and nacelle; power production; and wake evolution when large 5-MW turbines are subjected to winds generated from low- and high-surface roughness levels representative of offshore and onshore conditions, respectively, and also neutral and unstable atmospheric conditions. In addition, we placed a second turbine 7 rotor...

The impact of turbulence intensity and atmospheric stability on power deficits due to wind turbine wakes at Horns Rev wind farm

Abstract: The wind turbine operational characteristics, power measurements and meteorological measurements from Horns Rev offshore wind farm have been identified, synchronized, quality screened and stored in a common database as 10 min statistical data. A number of flow cases have been identified to describe the flow inside the wind farm, and the power deficits along rows of wind turbines have been determined for different inflow directions and wind speed intervals. A method to classify the atmospheric stability based on the Bulk-Ri number has been implemented. Long-term stability conditions have been established, which confirms, in line with previous results, that conditions tend towards near neutral as wind speeds increase but that both stable and unstable conditions are present at wind speeds up to 15 m s −1. Moreover, there is a strong stability directional dependence with southerly winds having fewer unstable conditions, whereas northerly winds have fewer observations in the stable classes. Stable conditions also tend to be associated with lower levels of turbulence intensity, and this relationship persists as wind speeds increase. Power deficit is a function of ambient turbulence intensity. The level of power deficit is strongly dependent on the wind turbine spacing; as turbulence intensity increases, the power deficit decreases. The power deficit is determined for four different wind turbine spacing distances and for stability classified as very stable, stable and others (near neutral to very unstable). The more stable the conditions are, the larger the power deficit. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Lake‐size dependency of wind shear and convection as controls on gas exchange

Abstract: [1] High-frequency physical observations from 40 temperate lakes were used to examine the relative contributions of wind shear (u*) and convection (w*) to turbulence in the surface mixed layer. Seasonal patterns of u* and w* were dissimilar; u* was often highest in the spring, while w*increased throughout the summer to a maximum in early fall. Convection was a larger mixed-layer turbulence source than wind shear (u*/w* < 0.75) for 18 of the 40 lakes, including all 11 lakes <10 ha. As a consequence, the relative contribution of convection to the gas transfer velocity (k, estimated by the surface renewal model) was greater for small lakes. The average k was 0.54 m day−1 for lakes <10 ha. Because u* and w*differ in temporal pattern and magnitude across lakes, both convection and wind shear should be considered in future formulations of lake-air gas exchange, especially for small lakes.

Local and mesoscale impacts of wind farms as parameterized in a mesoscale NWP model

Abstract: A new wind farm parameterization has been developed for the mesoscale numerical weather prediction model, the WeatherResearchand Forecasting model (WRF). The effects of wind turbinesare represented by imposinga momentum sink on themeanflow;transferringkinetic energyintoelectricity andturbulent kinetic energy (TKE). The parameterization improves upon previous models, basing the atmospheric drag of turbines on the thrust coefficient of a modern commercial turbine. In addition, the source of TKE varies with wind speed, reflecting the amount of energy extracted from the atmosphere by the turbines that does not produce electrical energy. Analyses of idealized simulations of a large offshore wind farm are presented to highlight the perturbation induced by the wind farm and its interaction with the atmospheric boundary layer (BL). A wind speed deficit extended throughout the depth of the neutral boundary layer, above and downstream from the farm, with alongwakeof60-kme-foldingdistance.Withinthefarmthewindspeeddeficitreachedamaximum reduction of 16%. A maximum increase of TKE, by nearly a factor of 7, was located within the farm. The increase in TKE extended to the top of the BL above the farm due to vertical transport and wind shear, significantly enhancing turbulent momentum fluxes. The TKE increased by a factor of 2 near the surface within the farm. Near-surface winds accelerated by up to 11%. These results are consistent with the few results available from observations and large-eddy simulations, indicating this parameterization provides a reasonable means of exploring potential downwind impacts of large wind farms.

Atmospheric Turbulence Effects on Wind-Turbine Wakes: An LES Study

Abstract: A numerical study of atmospheric turbulence effects on wind-turbine wakes is presented. Large-eddy simulations of neutrally-stratified atmospheric boundary layer flows through stand-alone wind turbines were performed over homogeneous flat surfaces with four different aerodynamic roughness lengths. Emphasis is placed on the structure and characteristics of turbine wakes in the cases where the incident flows to the turbine have the same mean velocity at the hub height but different mean wind shears and turbulence intensity levels. The simulation results show that the different turbulence intensity levels of the incoming flow lead to considerable influence on the spatial distribution of the mean velocity deficit, turbulence intensity, and turbulent shear stress in the wake region. In particular, when the turbulence intensity level of the incoming flow is higher, the turbine-induced wake (velocity deficit) recovers faster, and the locations of the maximum turbulence intensity and turbulent stress are closer to the turbine. A detailed analysis of the turbulence kinetic energy budget in the wakes reveals also an important effect of the incoming flow turbulence level on the magnitude and spatial distribution of the shear production and transport terms.

Turbulence Regimes and Turbulence Intermittency in the Stable Boundary Layer during CASES-99

Abstract: An investigation of nocturnal intermittent turbulence during the Cooperative Atmosphere–Surface Exchange Study in 1999 (CASES-99) revealed three turbulence regimes at each observation height: 1) regime 1, a weak turbulence regime when the wind speed is less than a threshold value; 2) regime 2, a strong turbulence regime when the wind speed exceeds the threshold value; and 3) regime 3, a moderate turbulence regime when top-down turbulence sporadically bursts into the otherwise weak turbulence regime. For regime 1, the strength of small turbulence eddies is correlated with local shear and weakly related to local stratification. For regime 2, the turbulence strength increases systematically with wind speed as a result of turbulence generation by the bulk shear, which scales with the observation height. The threshold wind speed marks the transition above which the boundary layer approaches near-neutral conditions, where the turbulent mixing substantially reduces the stratification and temperature fluc...

Wind and waves in extreme hurricanes

Abstract: Waves breaking at the ocean surface are important to the dynamical, chemical and biological processes at the air-sea interface. The traditional view is that the white capping and aero-dynamical surface roughness increase with wind speed up to a limiting value. This view is fundamental to hurricane forecasting and climate research but it has never been verified at extreme winds. Here we show with observations that at high wind speeds white caps remain constant and at still higher wind speeds are joined, and increasingly dominated, by streaks of foam and spray. At surface wind speeds of ?40 m/s the streaks merge into a white out, the roughness begins to decrease and a high-velocity surface jet begins to develop. The roughness reduces to virtually zero by ?80 m/s wind speed, rendering the surface aero-dynamically extremely smooth in the most intense part of extreme (or major) hurricanes (wind speed > 50 m/s). A preliminary assessment shows that cross swell, dominant in large regions of hurricanes, allows the roughness under high wind conditions to increase considerably before it reduces to the same low values.

Near-wake flow structure downwind of a wind turbine in a turbulent boundary layer

Abstract: Wind turbines operate in the surface layer of the atmospheric boundary layer, where they are subjected to strong wind shear and relatively high turbulence levels. These incoming boundary layer flow characteristics are expected to affect the structure of wind turbine wakes. The near-wake region is characterized by a complex coupled vortex system (including helicoidal tip vortices), unsteadiness and strong turbulence heterogeneity. Limited information about the spatial distribution of turbulence in the near wake, the vortex behavior and their influence on the downwind development of the far wake hinders our capability to predict wind turbine power production and fatigue loads in wind farms. This calls for a better understanding of the spatial distribution of the 3D flow and coherent turbulence structures in the near wake. Systematic wind-tunnel experiments were designed and carried out to characterize the structure of the near-wake flow downwind of a model wind turbine placed in a neutral boundary layer flow. A horizontal-axis, three-blade wind turbine model, with a rotor diameter of 13 cm and the hub height at 10.5 cm, occupied the lowest one-third of the boundary layer. High-resolution particle image velocimetry (PIV) was used to measure velocities in multiple vertical stream-wise planes (x–z) and vertical span-wise planes (y–z). In particular, we identified localized regions of strong vorticity and swirling strength, which are the signature of helicoidal tip vortices. These vortices are most pronounced at the top-tip level and persist up to a distance of two to three rotor diameters downwind. The measurements also reveal strong flow rotation and a highly non-axisymmetric distribution of the mean flow and turbulence structure in the near wake. The results provide new insight into the physical mechanisms that govern the development of the near wake of a wind turbine immersed in a neutral boundary layer. They also serve as important data for the development and validation of numerical models.

Atmospheric stability affects wind turbine power collection

Abstract: The power generated by a wind turbine largely depends on the wind speed. During time periods with identical hub-height wind speeds but different shapes to the wind profile, a turbine will produce different amounts of power. This variability may be induced by atmospheric stability, which affects profiles of mean wind speed, direction and turbulence across the rotor disk. Our letter examines turbine power generation data, segregated by atmospheric stability, in order to investigate power performance dependences at a West Coast North American wind farm. The dependence of power on stability is clear, regardless of whether time periods are segregated by three-dimensional turbulence, turbulence intensity or wind shear. The power generated at a given wind speed is higher under stable conditions and lower under strongly convective conditions: average power output differences approach 15%. Wind energy resource assessment and day ahead power forecasting could benefit from increased accuracy if atmospheric stability impacts were measured and appropriately incorporated in power forecasts, e.g., through the generation of power curves based on a range of turbulence regimes.

Crop Wind Energy Experiment (CWEX): Observations of Surface-Layer, Boundary Layer, and Mesoscale Interactions with a Wind Farm

Abstract: Perturbations of mean and turbulent wind characteristics by large wind turbines modify fluxes between the vegetated surface and the lower boundary layer. While simulations have suggested that wind farms could significantly change surface fluxes of heat, momentum, momentum, moisture, and CO2 over hundreds of square kilometers, little observational evidence exists to test these predictions. Quantifying the influences of the “turbine layer” is necessary to quantify how surface fluxes are modified and to better forecast energy production by a wind farm. Changes in fluxes are particularly important in regions of intensely managed agriculture where crop growth and yield are highly dependent on subtle changes in moisture, heat, and CO2. Furthermore, speculations abound about the possible mesoscale consequences of boundary layer changes that are produced by wind farms. To address the lack of observations to answer these questions, we developed the Crop Wind Energy Experiment (CWEX) as a multiagency, multiuniversi...

The Impact of Size Sorting on the Polarimetric Radar Variables

Abstract: Differential sedimentation of precipitation occurs because heavier hydrometeors fall faster than lighter ones. Updrafts and vertical wind shear can maintain this otherwise transient size sorting, resulting in prolonged regions of ongoing particle sorting in storms. This study quantifies the impact of size sorting on the S-band polarimetric radar variables (radar reflectivity factor at horizontal polarization ZH, differential reflectivity ZDR, specific differential phase KDP, and the copolar cross-correlation coefficient ρhv). These variables are calculated from output of two idealized bin models: a one-dimensional model of pure raindrop fallout and a two-dimensional rain shaft encountering vertical wind shear. Additionally, errors in the radar variables as simulated by single-, double-, and triple-moment bulk microphysics parameterizations are quantified for the same size sorting scenarios.Size sorting produces regions of sparsely concentrated large drops with a lack of smaller drops, causing ZDR ...

The Minimum Wind Speed for Sustainable Turbulence in the Nocturnal Boundary Layer

Abstract: The collapse of turbulence in the nocturnal boundary layer is studied by means of a simple bulk model that describes the basic physical interactions in the surface energy balance. It is shown that for a given mechanical forcing, the amount of turbulent heat that can be transported downward is limited to a certain maximum. In the case of weak winds and clear skies, this maximum can be significantly smaller than the net radiative loss minus soil heat transport. In the case when the surface has low heat capacity, this imbalance generates rapid surface cooling that further suppresses the turbulent heat transport, so that eventually turbulence largely ceases (positive feedback mechanism). The model predicts the minimum wind speed for sustainable turbulence for the so-called crossing level. At this level, some decameters above the surface, the wind is relatively stationary compared to lower and higher levels. The critical speed is predicted in the range of about 5–7 m s21, depending on radiative forcing and surface properties, and is in agreement with observations at Cabauw. The critical value appears not very sensitive to model details or to the exact values of the input parameters. Finally, results are interpreted in terms of external forcings, such as geostrophic wind. As it is generally larger than the speed at crossing height, a 5 m s21 geostrophic wind may be considered as the typical limit below which sustainable, continuous turbulence under clear-sky conditions is unlikely to exist. Below this threshold emergence of the very stable nocturnal boundary layer is anticipated.

On hurricane parametric wind and applications in storm surge modeling

Abstract: [1] This study revisits the parametric modeling of the hurricane surface wind field composed of the storm vortex and the environmental background flow. First, we investigate the parametric representation of the surface background wind by analyzing its empirical relationship with storm movement. A marked deceleration and counter-clockwise rotation of the surface background wind from the storm translation vector is detected, a result predicted by the Ekman theory but rarely applied in wind and surge modeling. Then, we examine the various parameters used to model the wind field and, through numerical simulations, quantify their induced uncertainties in the extreme wind and surge estimates at two coastal sites. Our analyses show that, over the range of accepted values and methods in the literature, the local wind and surge estimates are most sensitive to uncertainties in the surface wind reduction factor and storm wind profile but less sensitive to uncertainties in other wind parameters, such as inflow angle and surface background wind (varying in the observed range). The surge is more sensitive than the wind to uncertainties in the wind parameters, and these sensitivities are comparable to the sensitivity of the surge to the uncertainty in the sea surface drag coefficient. We also find that some commonly used wind parameters unsupported by theory or observations can induce significant errors in the wind and surge estimates. The results of this study provide new insights and references for future hurricane wind and surge analysis.

Dynamic wind loads and wake characteristics of a wind turbine model in an atmospheric boundary layer wind

Abstract: An experimental study was conducted to characterize the dynamic wind loads and evolution of the unsteady vortex and turbulent flow structures in the near wake of a horizontal axis wind turbine model placed in an atmospheric boundary layer wind tunnel. In addition to measuring dynamic wind loads (i.e., aerodynamic forces and bending moments) acting on the wind turbine model by using a high-sensitive force-moment sensor unit, a high-resolution digital particle image velocimetry (PIV) system was used to achieve flow field measurements to quantify the characteristics of the turbulent vortex flow in the near wake of the wind turbine model. Besides conducting “free-run” PIV measurements to determine the ensemble-averaged statistics of the flow quantities such as mean velocity, Reynolds stress, and turbulence kinetic energy (TKE) distributions in the wake flow, “phase-locked” PIV measurements were also performed to elucidate further details about evolution of the unsteady vortex structures in the wake flow in relation to the position of the rotating turbine blades. The effects of the tip-speed-ratio of the wind turbine model on the dynamic wind loads and wake flow characteristics were quantified in the terms of the variations of the aerodynamic thrust and bending moment coefficients of the wind turbine model, the evolution of the helical tip vortices and the unsteady vortices shedding from the blade roots and turbine nacelle, the deceleration of the incoming airflows after passing the rotation disk of the turbine blades, the TKE and Reynolds stress distributions in the near wake of the wind turbine model. The detailed flow field measurements were correlated with the dynamic wind load measurements to elucidate underlying physics in order to gain further insight into the characteristics of the dynamic wind loads and turbulent vortex flows in the wakes of wind turbines for the optimal design of the wind turbines operating in atmospheric boundary layer winds.

SMOS satellite L-band radiometer: A new capability for ocean surface remote sensing in hurricanes

Abstract: The Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission currently provides multiangular L-band (1.4 GHz) brightness temperature images of the Earth. Because upwelling radiation at 1.4 GHz is significantly less affected by rain and atmospheric effects than at higher microwave frequencies, these new SMOS measurements offer unique opportunities to complement existing ocean satellite high wind observations that are often contaminated by heavy rain and clouds. To illustrate this new capability, we present SMOS data over hurricane Igor, a tropical storm that developed to a Saffir-Simpson category 4 hurricane from 11 to 19 September 2010. Thanks to its large spatial swath and frequent revisit time, SMOS observations intercepted the hurricane 9 times during this period. Without correcting for rain effects, L-band wind-induced ocean surface brightness temperatures (TB) were co-located and compared to H*Wind analysis. We find the L-band ocean emissivity dependence with wind speed appears less sensitive to roughness and foam changes than at the higher C-band microwave frequencies. The first Stokes parameter on a ∼50 km spatial scale nevertheless increases quasi-linearly with increasing surface wind speed at a rate of 0.3 K/m s−1 and 0.7 K/m s−1 below and above the hurricane-force wind speed threshold (∼32 m s−1), respectively. Surface wind speeds estimated from SMOS brightness temperature images agree well with the observed and modeled surface wind speed features. In particular, the evolution of the maximum surface wind speed and the radii of 34, 50 and 64 knots surface wind speeds are consistent with GFDL hurricane model solutions and H*Wind analyses. The SMOS sensor is thus closer to a true all-weather satellite ocean wind sensor with the capability to provide quantitative and complementary surface wind information of interest for operational Hurricane intensity forecasts.

Assessing atmospheric stability and its impacts on rotor-disk wind characteristics at an onshore wind farm

Abstract: As the average hub height and blade diameter of new wind turbine installations continue to increase, turbines typically encounter higher wind speeds, which enable them to extract large amounts of energy, but they also face challenges due to the complex nature of wind flow and turbulence in the planetary boundary layer (PBL). Wind speed and turbulence can vary greatly across a turbine's rotor disk; this variability is partially due to whether the PBL is stable, neutral or convective. To assess the influence of stability on these wind characteristics, we utilize a unique data set including observations from two meteorological towers, a surface flux tower and high-resolution remote-sensing sound detection and ranging (SODAR) instrument. We compare several approaches to defining atmospheric stability to the Obukhov length (L). Typical wind farm observations only allow for the calculation of a wind shear exponent (α) or horizontal turbulence intensity (IU) from cup anemometers, whereas SODAR gives measurements at multiple heights in the rotor disk of turbulence intensity (I) in the latitudinal (Iu), longitudinal (Iv) and vertical (Iw) directions and turbulence kinetic energy (TKE). Two methods for calculating horizontal Ifrom SODAR data are discussed. SODAR stability parameters are in high agreement with the more physically robust L,with TKE exhibiting the best agreement, and show promise for accurate characterizations of stability. Vertical profiles of wind speed and turbulence, which likely affect turbine power performance, are highly correlated with stability regime. At this wind farm, disregarding stability leads to over-assessments of the wind resource during convective conditions and under-assessments during stable conditions. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Cluster analysis of tropical cyclone tracks in the Southern Hemisphere

Abstract: A probabilistic clustering method is used to describe various aspects of tropical cyclone (TC) tracks in the Southern Hemisphere, for the period 1969–2008 A total of 7 clusters are examined: three in the South Indian Ocean, three in the Australian Region, and one in the South Pacific Ocean Large-scale environmental variables related to TC genesis in each cluster are explored, including sea surface temperature, low-level relative vorticity, deep-layer vertical wind shear, outgoing longwave radiation, El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) Composite maps, constructed 2 days prior to genesis, show some of these to be significant precursors to TC formation—most prominently, westerly wind anomalies equatorward of the main development regions Clusters are also evaluated with respect to their genesis location, seasonality, mean peak intensity, track duration, landfall location, and intensity at landfall ENSO is found to play a significant role in modulating annual frequency and mean genesis location in three of the seven clusters (two in the South Indian Ocean and one in the Pacific) The ENSO-modulating effect on genesis frequency is caused primarily by changes in low-level zonal flow between the equator and 10°S, and associated relative vorticity changes in the main development regions ENSO also has a significant effect on mean genesis location in three clusters, with TCs forming further equatorward (poleward) during El Nino (La Nina) in addition to large shifts in mean longitude The MJO has a strong influence on TC genesis in all clusters, though the amount modulation is found to be sensitive to the definition of the MJO

Importance of the upper‐level warm core in the rapid intensification of a tropical cyclone

Abstract: [1] In this study, the rapid intensification (RI) of tropical cyclone is examined using a 72-h cloud-permitting prediction of Hurricane Wilma (2005) with a record-breaking intensity of 882 hPa. Results show the formation of an upper-level warm core from the descending air of stratospheric origin in the eye, which coincides with the onset of RI; it reaches the peak amplitude of more than 18°C from its initial conditions at the time of peak intensity. The descending air is associated with the detrainment of convective bursts in the eyewall, and it appears as (perturbation) cyclonic radial inflows above the upper outflow layer and causes the subsidence warming below. We hypothesize that the upper divergent outflow layer favors the generation of a warm core by protecting it from ventilation by environmental flows. Use of the hydrostatic equation shows that the warm core of stratospheric origin contributes more than twice as much as the lower-level warm column to the pressure change at the peak intensity of Wilma. Results suggest that more attention be paid to the magnitude of storm-relative flows and vertical wind shear in the upper troposphere, rather than just vertical shear in the typical 850–200 hPa layer, in order to reasonably predict the RI of tropical cyclones.

Wind direction and complex sediment transport response across a beach–dune system

Abstract: Evidence from a field study on wind flow and sediment transport across a beach–dune system under onshore and offshore conditions (including oblique approach angles) indicates that sediment transport response on the back-beach and stoss slope of the foredune can be exceedingly complex. The upper-air flow – measured by a sonic anemometer at the top of a 3·5 m tower located on the dune crest – is similar to regional wind records obtained from a nearby meteorological station, but quite different from the near-surface flow field measured locally across the beach–dune profile by sonic anemometers positioned 20 cm above the sand surface. Flow–form interaction at macro and micro scales leads to strong modulation of the near-surface wind vectors, including wind speed reductions (due to surface roughness drag and adverse pressure effects induced by the dune) and wind speed increases (due to flow compression toward the top of the dune) as well as pronounced topographic steering during oblique wind approach angles. A conceptual model is proposed, building on the ideas of Sweet and Kocurek (Sedimentology 37: 1023–1038, 1990), Walker and Nickling (Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 28: 111–1124, 2002), and Lynch et al. (Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 33: 991–1005, 2008, Geomorphology 105: 139–146, 2010), which shows how near-surface wind vectors are altered for four regional wind conditions: (a) onshore, detached; (b) onshore-oblique, attached and deflected; (c) offshore, detached; and (d) offshore-oblique, attached and deflected. High-frequency measurements of sediment transport intensity during these different events demonstrate that predictions of sediment flux using standard equations driven by regional wind statistics would by unreliable and misleading. It is recommended that field studies routinely implement experimental designs that treat the near-surface wind field as comprising true vector quantities (with speed and direction) in order that a more robust linkage between the regional (upper air) wind field and the sediment transport response across the beach–dune profile be established. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Rapidly Intensifying Hurricane Guillermo (1997). Part II: Resilience in Shear

Abstract: This paper examines the structure and evolution of a mature tropical cyclone in vertical wind shear (VWS) using airborne Doppler radar observations of Hurricane Guillermo (1997). In Part I, the modulation of eyewall convection via the rotation of vorticity asymmetries through the downshear-left quadrant was documented during rapid intensification. Here, the focus is on the relationship between VWS, vortex tilt, and associated asymmetry within the tropical cyclone core region during two separate observation periods. A method for estimating local VWS and vortex tilt from radar datasets is further developed, and the resulting verticalstructureanditsevolutionaresubjectedtostatisticalconfidencetests.Guillermowasahighlyresilient vortex, evidenced by its small tilt magnitude relative to the horizontal scale of the vortex core. The deep-layer tilt was statistically significant, oriented on average ;608 left of shear. Large-scale vorticity and thermal asymmetries oriented along the tilt direction support a response of Guillermo to shear forcing that is consistent with balanced dynamics. The time-averaged vertical motion asymmetry within the eyewall exhibited maximum ascent values ;408 left of the deep-layer shear, or in this case, right of the deep-layer tilt. The observation-based analysis of Guillermo’s interaction with VWS confirms findings of recent theoretical and numerical studies, and serves as the basis for a more comprehensive investigation of VWS and tropical cyclone intensity change using a recently constructed multistorm database of Doppler radar analyses.

On the Wind Power Input to the Ocean General Circulation

Abstract: The wind power input to the ocean general circulation is usually calculated from the time-averaged wind products. Here, this wind power input is reexamined using available observations, focusing on the role of the synoptically varying wind. Power input to the ocean general circulation is found to increase by over 70% when 6-hourly winds are used instead of monthly winds. Much of the increase occurs in the storm-track regions of the Southern Ocean, Gulf Stream, and Kuroshio Extension. This result holds irrespective of whether the ocean surface velocity is accounted for in the wind stress calculation. Depending on the fate of the highfrequency wind power input, the power input to the ocean general circulation relevant to deep-ocean mixing may be less than previously thought. This study emphasizes the difficulty of choosing appropriate forcing for ocean-only models.

The modification of wind turbine performance by statistically distinct atmospheric regimes

Abstract: Power production from wind turbines can deviate from the manufacturer's specifications due to variability in atmospheric inflow characteristics, including stability, wind shear and turbulence The practice of insufficient data at many operational wind farms has made it difficult to characterize this meteorological forcing In this study, nacelle wind measurements from a wind farm in the high plains of central North America were examined along with meteorological tower data to quantify the effects of atmospheric stability regimes in the boundary layer on turbine power generation The wind power law coefficient and the bulk Richardson number were used to segregate time periods by stability to generate regime-dependent power curves Results indicated underperformance during stable regimes and overperformance during convective regimes at moderate wind speeds (8–12 m s−1) Statistical testing using the Monte Carlo approach demonstrated that these results were robust, despite potential deviations of the nacelle wind speeds from free-stream inflow values due to momentum loss from the turbine structure and spinning rotor A hypothetical stability dependence between free-stream and nacelle wind speeds was generated that can be evaluated in future analyses The low instrumentation requirement of our power analysis technique should enable similar studies at many wind sites formerly considered inappropriate

The effect of vertical shear orientation on tropical cyclogenesis

Abstract: The effect of the relative orientation of the vertical wind shear to the surface wind on tropical cyclogenesis is explored in environments of radiative-convective equilibrium (RCE) through numerical simulation. This study serves as a companion paper to an earlier study on the thermodynamics of genesis in RCE. It is found, when the mean surface wind and shear are aligned, a negative surface wind anomaly arises from the superposition of the mean and vortex surface flows left of the shear vector. The resulting weak surface enthalpy fluxes and up-shear quasi-balanced subsidence leads to dry air being located cyclonically down-wind of the down-shear convective anomaly. Thus convection is inhibited from propagating cyclonically around the core leading to a large down-shear vortex tilt. Conversely, in a counter-aligned orientation, the negative surface wind anomaly and driest air is found right of the shear vector. Hence the driest air rotates into the down-shear flank where it moistened by shear-organized convection. Furthermore, the boundary layer is relatively moist left of shear due to the positive surface wind anomaly, therefore promoting the cyclonic propagation from down-shear and constraining the magnitude of the vortex tilt. Genesis is intimately tied to the magnitude of the tilt and is found to occur once the mid-level vortex has precessed into the up-shear flank. For smaller values of maximum tilt, vortex precession is comparatively rapid, aided by “showerhead” moistening provided by the up-shear advection of frozen condensate aloft. With the up-shear flank pre-moistened, rapid precession of the mid-level vortex, at smaller radii, leads to near saturation on the mesoscale and the onset of rapid intensification. When the magnitude of the tilt is quite large, precession is much slower and the showerhead effect is significantly reduced until just prior to the emergence of the mid-level vortex in the up-shear flank. Copyright © 2011 Royal Meteorological Society

Strong correlation between the drag coefficient and the shape of the wind sea spectrum over a broad range of wind speeds

Abstract: [1] Momentum transfer across the wind-driven breaking air-water interface under strong wind conditions was experimentally investigated using a high-speed wind-wave tank together with field measurements at normal wind speeds. An eddy correlation method was utilized to measure roughness length and drag coefficient from wind velocity components measured by laser Doppler and phase Doppler anemometers. As a result, a new model for the roughness length and drag coefficient was proposed for predicting momentum transfer across the sea surface under both normal and strong wind conditions using the universal relationship between energy and significant frequency of wind waves normalized by the roughness length. The model shows that the roughness length and drag coefficient are uniquely determined at all wind speeds by energy and significant frequency of wind waves, and they can be given againstU10only from the measurements of the wave parameters and one-point mean air velocity in the logarithmic law region.

Wind Energy Meteorology: Insight into Wind Properties in the Turbine-Rotor Layer of the Atmosphere from High-Resolution Doppler Lidar

Abstract: Addressing the need for high-quality wind information aloft in the layer occupied by turbine rotors (~30–150 m above ground level) is one of many significant challenges facing the wind energy industry. Without wind measurements at heights within the rotor sweep of the turbines, characteristics of the flow in this layer are unknown for wind energy and modeling purposes. Since flow in this layer is often decoupled from the surface, near-surface measurements are prone to errant extrapolation to these heights, and the behavior of the near-surface winds may not reflect that of the upper-level flow.

Sub-kilometer dynamical downscaling of near-surface winds in complex terrain using WRF and MM5 mesoscale models

Abstract: configured with horizontal grid spacing ranging from 27 km in the outermost telescoping to 333 m in the innermost domains and verified with observations collected at four 50-m towers in west-central Nevada during July and December 2007. Moment-based and spectral verification metrics showed that the performance of WRF was superior to MM5. The modeling results were more accurate at 50 m than at 10 m AGL. Both models accurately simulated the mean near-surface wind shear; however, WRF (MM5) generally overestimated (underestimated) mean wind speeds at these levels. The dispersion errors were the dominant component of the root-mean square errors. The major weakness of WRF was the overestimation of the intensity and frequency of strong nocturnal thermally driven flows and their sub-diurnal scale variability, while the main weaknesses of MM5 were larger biases, underestimation of the frequency of stronger daytime winds in the mixed layer and underestimation of the observed spectral kinetic energy of the major energy-containing motions. Neither of the verification metrics showed systematic improvement in the models’ accuracy with increasing the horizontal resolution and the share of dispersion errors increased with increased resolution. However, a profound improvement in the moment-based accuracy was found for the mean vertical wind shear and the temporal variability of wind speed, in particular for summer daytime simulations of the thermally driven flows. The most prominent spectral accuracy improvement among the primary energy-containing frequency bands was found for both models in the summertime diurnal periods. Also, the improvement for WRF (MM5) was more (less) apparent for longer-than-diurnal than for sub-diurnal periods. Finally, the study shows that at least near-kilometer horizontal grid spacing is necessary for dynamical downscaling of near-surface wind speed climate over complex terrain; however, some of the physics options might be less appropriate for grid spacing nearing the scales of the energy-containing turbulent eddies, i.e., resolutions of several hundred meters. In addition to the effects of the lower boundary, the accuracy of the lateral boundary conditions of the parent domains also controls the onset and evolution of the thermally driven flows.

The top-down model of wind farm boundary layers and its applications

Abstract: A simple model for the interactions of large wind farms with the turbulent atmospheric boundary layer, augmented for wake effects, is used to examine several important aspects of power degradation in large wind farms. It is shown that when combined with a model for internal boundary layer growth following the start of a wind farm, the model can explain measured power degradation trends. The model is then used to re-examine the advantages of off-shore wind farms. It is shown that the smaller roughness length over ocean that leads to faster hub-height winds compared with land-based wind farms is largely overshadowed by the wind turbines themselves.

Rapid Intensification of a Sheared, Fast-Moving Hurricane over the Gulf Stream

Abstract: Hurricane Irene (1999) rapidly intensified from 65 to 95 kt (~33.4 to 48.9 m s−1) in 18 h. During the rapid intensification (RI) period, the northeastward storm motion increased from 10 to 18 m s−1, the ambient southwesterly vertical wind shear increased from 6–7 to 10–13 m s −1, and the downshear tilt of the inner core vortex increased. The azimuthal wavenumber-1 asymmetric convection that developed was consistent with a superposition of shear-induced and storm motion–induced forcing for vertical motion downshear and ahead of the center. Although the diabatic heating remained strongly asymmetric, it was of sufficient intensity to dramatically increase the azimuthally averaged heating. This heating occurred almost entirely inside the radius of maximum winds, a region known to favor rapid warm core development and spinup of the vortex. It is hypothesized that asymmetric forcing from the large vertical wind shear and rapid storm motion were responsible for RI. An unanswered question is what determin...