Continuous Wind Guide Layout for Lower-Loss Wind Farms
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wind farm systems experience aerodynamic losses due to wind flow divergence and escape around wind guides, reducing efficiency and increasing the cost of energy production, especially when multiple wind turbines are aligned in a row.
Innovation Solution
Implementing continuous wind guides with specific configurations, such as narrowing the gap between contiguous wind guides to less than the sum of the rotor diameters, adjusting the relative position and height of wind turbines and guides, and optimizing the wind guide design to minimize aerodynamic losses and enhance wind speed through the rotor swept area.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the horizontal length of the wind guide is increased to reduce aerodynamic losses, then the wind speed through the rotor increases, but the cost-of-energy increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple wind guides into a continuous structure where the gap between contiguous wind guides is less than the sum of the rotor diameters of adjacent wind turbines. This combining approach allows a single wind guide structure to serve multiple turbines simultaneously, achieving reduced aerodynamic losses and improved wind speed without the proportional cost increase of individual wind guides for each turbine
Solution Approach 2:
The continuous wind guide structure performs multiple functions: it acts as a wind guide for multiple adjacent wind turbines simultaneously, reduces aerodynamic losses at guide ends, and improves overall farm productivity. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate wind guides for each turbine, optimizing the cost-of-energy
2Productivity
If stand-alone wind guides are used for each wind turbine, then individual turbine efficiency is improved, but aerodynamic losses occur due to wind flow divergence and escape at guide ends
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple discrete wind guides into a continuous structure that spans across multiple wind turbines. By eliminating or minimizing the gaps between individual guides, the structure prevents wind flow escape at the ends of each guide and reduces divergence losses, while maintaining the efficiency benefits for each individual turbine
Solution Approach 2:
The continuous wind guide structure ensures uninterrupted wind flow guidance across multiple turbines. The gap between contiguous guides is kept less than the sum of rotor diameters, maintaining continuous useful action of wind direction control and preventing energy losses that would occur with discrete, separated guides
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Significantly increases energy production by up to 43% with reduced cost-of-energy, allowing for more efficient land use and integration of solar panels, while reducing visual impact and carbon emissions.
Implementation Method 1
The wind guides are substantially arranged and configured to block and thereby guide the wind at an altitude below the rotor swept area so the wind behind the wind guides has another direction and speed than the wind in front of the wind guides
Implementation Method 2
The wind guide function with a wind blocking effect to generate a high-pressure area in front of the wind guide. Since the wind flows from high pressure areas to lower pressure areas a substantial part of the wind approaching the wind guide will move upwardly towards the wind turbine rotor swept area
Data Source
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Figure 3
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AI summary
The present invention disclosure describes a wind farm system and a method to improvethe energy production from a wind farm comprising one or more wind guides for speeding up the wind through the wind turbine rotor and thereby improving the energy production from the wind turbine. One wind guide covering several wind turbines or several wind guides with a limited gap between them have been proven to significantly improve the efficiency of wind guides. One or more wind guides covering the wind turbines in the last row of a wind farm has likewise shown unexpected significant improvements. CFD calculations have shown more than 40% improvement in generated power from a wind farm system in some cases.