The performance of individual turbines in an array is affected by the wake of those upstream. Three main methodologies have been adopted for the modeling of wake interactions in arrays of wind turbines: Wake superposition models; Field models; and Boundary layer models. This paper examines chracteristics of the field model, applied to a 2D simulated array of tidal turbines.
It also looks at the impact of the results on the assumptions of boundary layer models. Experiments were carried out on a set of porous fences under continuous flow, which simulate the pressure drop presented by a row of turbines. The same scenario was modelled using Ansys CFX. The experimental results were compared to the model results, giving an indication of the validity of the model. The model was then extended to examine characteristics of the flow between the fences. Preliminary results showed reasonable agreement between model and experimental results. The velocity deficit tended towards an equilibrium value, which which supports the possibility of modelling arrays using distributed roughness. Turbulence intensity increased downstream of succesive fences. The trend of coefficient of thrust values was reproduced in the model.
