Efeito da estratificação térmica na esteira de uma turbina utilizando LES por meio do modelo PALM

Abstract

This work arises from the growing interest and importance of wind farms in Brazil, with a focus on the Três Divisas Wind Complex project in Rio Grande do Sul, which will significantly contribute to renewable energy generation in the state. The study focuses on the use of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), specifically Large-Eddy Simulation (LES), to analyze the behavior of the wake generated by wind turbines. The research explores how factors such as thermal stratification and wind speed affect the formation and dispersion of the wake and the efficiency of wind energy generation. The study reveals that thermal stratification directly influences wake dispersion, with greater dispersion under convective conditions and less dispersion under stable conditions. Additionally, it is observed that, at low wind speeds, increasing the inflow velocity leads to an increase in the wake length up to a certain point. Energy generation is also affected by thermal stratification, being three times higher under more convective conditions compared to more stable conditions. The study uses the atmospheric model PALM for simulations and proposes improvements for future research, such as increasing grid resolution and expanding the simulation domain, as well as adding more turbines to analyze the effects on generation. This work contributes to a better understanding of the factors that impact wind energy generation and the effectiveness of wind projects, being useful for understanding and applying wind simulation projects. Keywords: Wind energy; LES; Thermal stratification; CFD; Atmospheric boundary layer; Turbulence.