Southampton fluid dynamics expertise channelled to optimise offshore wind farms
An engineering collaboration between the University of Southampton and Flightform Insights is improving offshore wind farm performance by studying the influence of the turbine wake on the water surface.
The project is developing a novel wake and wind generation model that will be used to identify the most effective turbine layout of windfarms.
Southampton fluid dynamics experts are focusing on the observation of real-life wakes - the ‘wind shadows’ cast by wind turbines - that reduce the wind speed and alter the wind flow characteristics for adjacent turbines down-wind.
The collaboration, which is funded by a grant from the £4.8 million SPRINT (SPace Research and Innovation Network for Technology) programme, will be able to predict the energy output and estimated energy losses from any configuration of wind turbines.
Stephen Turnock, Professor of Maritime Fluid Dynamics and Head of the Department of Civil, Maritime and Environmental Engineering, says: “Our expertise covers maritime engineering and renewable energy, and the team at Flightform were looking for specific expertise in joining up the data to confidently predict the performance of wind turbine arrays.
“The project is a unique opportunity to do this at scale, with a range of sites and a long timescale. It will be interesting to understand how turbines perform in arrays and use the data to effectively operate wind turbines. This cutting-edge industry perspective is useful for us to apply to teaching and research, and will extend our experience of working in commercial environments.”