The Lab
Windlab Systems' strong foundation in the atmospheric sciences and collaborative links with world-class research institutes like RISO in Denmark and the National Center for Atmospheric Research in the USA allow us to solve problems that are beyond the reach of standard engineering or consulting practices.
Windlab staff have experience in solving problems and contributing to the scientific literature in areas including boundary layer dynamics in climate modelling, turbulence in separated flow over topography, non-linear flow model development, long term variability in wind climatology, the effects of spatial and temporal correlation on the accuracy of wind resource prediction to name but a few.
We continue to research and develop new technologies that will advance the viability of wind as a global energy resource. Examples include:
- Spatial and temporal analysis of wind fields
- Effects of surface roughness and hill steepness on flow separation
- The effects of vegetative canopies on wind flow
- Statistical aspects of long term adjustments to wind records
- Effects of turbulence closure on accuracy of complex flow calculations
- New Tools in Wind Resource Modelling
- Prediction of turbulence created by orography and vegetative canopies in complex terrain
Windlab's CTO gives invited talk at CWE2006
Windlab Systems' Chief Technical Officer, Dr Keith Ayotte was recently an invited speaker at the Fourth International Symposium on Computation Wind
Engineering held in Yokohama, Japan, 16-19, July, 2006. Dr Ayotte presented an overview paper on computational methods for the wind energy industry. In the talk Dr Ayotte
spoke on a broad range of topics associated with computational fluid dynamics in wind resource assesment.
Download paper. (requires acrobat reader)
Abstract
A brief history of the development of models used in wind resource calculations and how they are used within that role is given. The earliest models were based on linear theory and were valid only over a narrow steepness and roughness parameter space. Developments in the intervening period have seen this parameter space expanded by using nonlinear Reynolds averaged models with distributed drag parameterizations for modelling mean flow within and above canopies. Though mean flow results for moderate slopes can be accurate, the effects of hill-scale turbulence created and shed on the lee side of hills becomes important as slopes increase. Large Eddy Simulation (LES) and wind tunnel data are used to help understand the processes responsible for the creation and downwind propagation of eddies in the lee of steep topographic features with and without canopies.LES of canopy flow
Windlab Systems in collaboration with NCAR have successfully completed a Large Eddy Simulation (LES) of wind flow over a canopied hill. This and other similar calculations, were aimed at understanding more about the mean flow and turbulence characteristics in the combined effects of forest canopies and topography. This work is ongoing.
