Ocean Array Systems (OAS) says it will use Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult’s 7 MW offshore wind demonstration turbine at Levenmouth to help validate software designed to improve turbine control strategies of offshore wind turbines.
According to the company, improved turbine control, adopted project-wide, could see as much as a 2.4% reduction in the levelized cost of energy of offshore wind.
OAS says its TurbineGRID simulation software aims to enable wind farm owners and operators to better predict how turbines respond to atmospheric turbulence, stability and wake interaction at both individual and farm levels.
The project – Simulation to enable Asset Life Extension of wind turbines – is funded by Innovate UK and will use production and load sensor data from the demonstration turbine combined with wind conditions measured through a met mast and LiDAR located at the site.
These will then be compared with the numerical model of the wind conditions and turbine response of the TurbineGRID software to validate the tool, OAS says.
As reported, the Levenmouth turbine load data will come from sensor instrumentation to be installed on the turbine’s blades, tower and substructure in order to monitor its behavior in real-world conditions.
Nicola Pearson, OAS commercial director, says, “We have developed an effective method to characterize the effects of turbulence, and this is used in our ‘TurbineGRID’ simulation tool to model site-specific turbine and array performance. Wake breakdown and interaction are modeled, and these innovations enable a more accurate prediction of blade loading and lifetimes. These tools will enable new control strategies to manage turbine interaction, yield and fatigue loading effects.”
Andy Kay, ORE Catapult’s innovation manager, says, “Deploying sensors on the turbine gives us a unique opportunity to understand the behaviour of a large turbine in real-world conditions and the impact of these conditions on turbine production and loads.”
