Ocean Array Systems is to use the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult’s 7 MW offshore wind demonstration turbine to validate software designed to improve control strategies.
Ocean Array Systems (OAS) is to use the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult’s 7 MW offshore wind demonstration turbine to validate software designed to improve the control strategies of offshore WTGs. Improved turbine control, adopted farm-wide, could see as much as a 2.4% reduction in the Levelised Cost of Energy (LCOE) of offshore wind, says OAS.
The TurbineGRID simulation software enables wind farm owner/operators to better predict how turbines respond to atmospheric turbulence, stability and wake interaction at both individual and farm level.
The project, dubbed ‘Simulation to enable Asset Life Extension of wind turbines (SALE)’ and funded by Innovate UK, will use production and load sensor data from the Levenmouth 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.
The Levenmouth turbine load data will come from sensor instrumentation that is to be installed on the turbine’s blades, tower and substructure to monitor its behaviour in real-world conditions.
“We have developed an effective method to characterise the effects of turbulence and this is used in our ‘TurbineGRID’ simulation tool to model site-specific turbine and array performance,” said Nicola Pearson, OAS commercial director. “Wake breakdown and interaction are modelled 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.”
As part of this project, there is also an opportunity for other turbine owner/operators to share array production data in return for the confidential reporting of turbulence characteristics and turbine response using the TurbineGRID software.
For further information, Nicola Pearson at OAS.