Continuous Wind Guide Configuration for Multi-Turbine Flow Losses
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wind farm systems face 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 is improved, but the cost-of-energy increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple wind guides into a continuous wind guide structure that spans across multiple wind turbines. This consolidation reduces the total number of separate wind guide structures needed while maintaining or improving wind speed enhancement, thereby reducing the cost-of-energy compared to using multiple discrete wind guides or increasing the length of individual guides.
Solution Approach 2:
The continuous wind guide structure serves multiple wind turbines simultaneously, performing a multi-function role. Instead of each wind guide serving only one turbine, the unified structure benefits multiple turbines along its length, improving overall system efficiency and reducing per-turbine energy costs.
2Productivity
If independent wind guides are used for each wind turbine, then individual turbine performance is optimized, but wind flow divergence and escape around guides cause aerodynamic losses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple independent wind guides into a single continuous structure. This merging eliminates the gaps between separate guides that cause wind flow escape and divergence, reducing aerodynamic losses while still providing wind speed enhancement for each individual turbine positioned along the continuous guide.
3Ease of operation
If larger gaps are left between contiguous wind guides, then installation and maintenance is easier, but wind flow escape around the guides increases aerodynamic losses
Solution Approach 1:
By merging wind guides into a continuous structure, the patent eliminates the gaps between separate guides that cause wind flow escape. The unified design maintains ease of operation through standardized construction modules while preventing aerodynamic losses associated with gaps between independent 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 costs, allowing for more efficient land use and integration of solar panels, while reducing carbon emissions and improving visual impact.
Implementation Method 1
The wind guides are 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
Data Source
AI summary
A wind farm system and a method to improve the 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.