Publications related to New microwave sensor for on-line Blade Tip Timing in gas and steam turbines

Enhancing Wind Farm Performance through Axial Induction and Tilt Control: Insights from Wind Tunnel Experiments

Fernando Porté Agel, Guillem Armengol Barcos

Static axial induction control and tilt control are two strategies that have the potential to increase power production in wind farms, mitigating wake effects and increasing the available power for downstream turbines. In this study, wind tunnel experiment ...

MDPI2024

Wind turbine wake superposition under pressure gradient

Fernando Porté Agel, Arslan Salim Dar

We investigate the effect of pressure gradient on the cumulative wake of multiple turbines in wind tunnel experiments spanning across a range of adverse pressure gradient (APG), zero pressure gradient (ZPG), and favorable pressure gradient (FPG). Compared ...

2024

The effect of nacelle-to-rotor size on the wake of a miniature wind turbine

Fernando Porté Agel, Arslan Salim Dar, Rim Majzoub

Wind tunnel experiments are performed to investigate the effect of nacelle-to-rotor size on the wake of a wind turbine under different Reynolds numbers. Four different turbine configurations are tested, which vary in the rotor diameter and nacelle length a ...

IOP Science2024

Power performance of a model floating wind turbine subjected to cyclic pitch motion: A wind tunnel study

Fernando Porté Agel, Guiyue Duan, Daniele Gattari

Wind tunnel experiments were performed with a miniature floating wind turbine model to study the effects of cyclic pitch motion on its power performance. The cyclic pitch motion was prescribed by two key parameters: pitch frequency and amplitude. The power ...

IOPscience2024

Optimal blade pitch control for enhanced vertical-axis wind turbine performance

Sébastien Le Fouest, Karen Ann J Mulleners

Vertical-axis wind turbines are great candidates to enable wind power extraction in urban and off-shore applications. Currently, concerns around turbine efficiency and structural integrity limit their industrial deployment. Flow control can mitigate these ...

Nature Research2024

Towards an improved understanding of wind turbine wakes in complex terrain

Arslan Salim Dar

In this thesis, we explored the effect of certain terrain-induced flow phenomena on the development of wind turbines sited in complex terrain. A combined experimental and analytical approach is used to study wind turbine wakes in different types of complex ...

EPFL2024

Design and assessment of an evaporating water-cooled methanation reactor for a SOE-based power-to-methane system

Philippe Aubin

The transition towards clean renewable energy sources, where wind and solar are prone to variation, requires adequate energy storage. Power-to-methane (PtM) systems can be part of the solution. Specifically, solid-oxide-electrolyser (SOE) based PtM systems ...

EPFL2024

Dynamic stall characterisation and control for vertical-axis wind turbines

Sébastien Le Fouest

According to the International Energy Agency, the global net-zero emissions objective requires the installed wind power capacity to increase 11-fold between 2020 and 2050. The scientific community has recently voiced concerns about the logistic feasibility ...

EPFL2023

Wind Turbine Wakes in Active Yaw Control: Numerical and Theoretical Studies

Mou Lin

In this thesis, we explore the best practice of simulating the wakes of the turbines under active yaw control (AYC) using large-eddy simulation (LES). In the first study, we validate the blade-element actuator disk model (ADM-BE) for a yawed wind turbine. ...

EPFL2023

Wind farm power density optimization according to the area size using a novel self-adaptive genetic algorithm

Fernando Porté Agel, Nicolas Otto Kirchner Bossi

This work studies the power density (PD) optimization in wind farms, and its sensitivity to the available area size. A novel genetic algorithm (PDGA) is introduced, which optimizes PD and the turbine layout, by self-adapting to the PD and to the solutions ...

Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd2023

Cross-code verification of non-neutral ABL and single wind turbine wake modelling in LES

Fernando Porté Agel, Marwa Souaiby

Large Eddy Simulations (LES) of atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) flow with the actuator disc (AD) for turbine modelling is a widely used method of simulating wind farm flows. Hence, it is important to understand the requirements for achieving a good compar ...

IOP PUBLISHING LTD2023

A wind tunnel study on cyclic yaw control: Power performance and wake characteristics

Fernando Porté Agel, Arslan Salim Dar, Guiyue Duan

In this study, wind-tunnel experiments are used to investigate cyclic yaw control as a wake mitigation strategy aiming to improve wind farm power production. The control strategy is applied to a single wind turbine and a wind farm comprising of a column of ...

Elsevier2023

Characterization of wind turbine flow through nacelle-mounted lidars: a review

Fernando Porté Agel, Peter Andreas Brugger

This article provides a comprehensive review of the most recent advances in the planning, execution, and analysis of inflow and wake measurements from nacelle-mounted wind Doppler lidars. Lidars installed on top of wind turbines provide a holistic view of ...

2023

Time scales of dynamic stall development on a vertical-axis wind turbine blade

Sébastien Le Fouest, Karen Ann J Mulleners, Daniel Marie Fernex

Vertical-axis wind turbines are excellent candidates to diversify wind energy technology, but their aerodynamic complexity limits industrial deployment. To improve the efficiency and lifespan of vertical-axis wind turbines, we desire data-driven models and ...

2023

Snowfall microphysics: a dual-frequency and Doppler spectral radar perspective

Anne-Claire Marie Billault--Roux

Snowfall is an essential component of the hydrological cycle, as it is involved in most precipitation on Earth, either directly as snow falling to the ground or indirectly as rain melted from snow. At the same time, the ice phase of clouds and precipitatio ...

EPFL2023

Fatigue behavior and life prediction of wind turbine blade composite materials

Anastasios Vassilopoulos

Fatigue life prediction of wind turbine rotor blades is a very challenging task, as their failure is led by different failure types that act synergistically. Inherent defects like wrinkles, fiber misalignments, and voids that can be introduced during fabri ...

Woodhead Publishing (Elsevier)2023

Wind Transport of Snow Impacts Ka- and Ku-band Radar Signatures on Arctic Sea Ice

Marc Schneebeli Zeugin, David Nicholas Wagner

Wind transport alters the snow topography and microstructure on sea ice through snow redistribution controlled by deposition and erosion. The impact of these processes on radar signatures is poorly understood. Here, we examine the effects of snow redistrib ...

2023

An experimental investigation of a roof-mounted horizontal-axis wind turbine in an idealized urban environment

Fernando Porté Agel, Arslan Salim Dar, Guillem Armengol Barcos

Wind-tunnel experiments are performed to investigate the effect of minor modifications to the roof edge shape on the power performance and wake characteristics of a horizontal-axis wind turbine sited on a cube-shaped building. Three roof edge shapes are co ...

Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd2022

A physics-based model for wind turbine wake expansion in the atmospheric boundary layer

Fernando Porté Agel, Dara Vahidi

Analytical wind turbine wake models are widely used to predict the wake velocity deficit. In these models, the wake growth rate is a key parameter specified mainly with empirical formulations. In this study, a new physics-based model is proposed and valida ...

Cambridge University Press2022

Large-eddy simulation of a wind-turbine array subjected to active yaw control

Fernando Porté Agel, Mou Lin

This study validates large-eddy simulation (LES) for predicting the flow through a wind turbine array subjected to active yaw control. The wind turbine array consists of three miniature wind turbines operated in both non-yawed and yawed configurations unde ...

2022