Optimization of offshore wind farms: A comparison between regular and irregular wind turbine layouts
Subject Areas : environmental management
Morteza Moharamkhani
1
,
Azadeh Nekooei esfahani
2
*
,
Seyed Mehdi Banihashemi
3
1 - Department of Civil Engineering and Environment, CT.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
2 - Department of Civil Engineering and Environment, CT.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
3 - Department of Civil Engineering and Environment, CT.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
Keywords: : Offshore wind farms, wake effect, wind farm optimization.,
Abstract :
Background and Objectives: The arrangement of wind turbines in wind farms, either in regular or irregular patterns, significantly impacts the overall system efficiency. Despite the importance of this issue, the performance differences between these two layout types have not been fully understood. To make informed decisions in designing new wind farms, it is crucial to carefully examine and compare the advantages and disadvantages of each layout type. Among the most important performance indicators of a wind farm are the optimized designs and design algorithms used, which play a decisive role in the final turbine layout.
Material and Methodology: The impact of regular and irregular wind farm layouts on selected performance indicators was investigated through a comparative case study. The performance of both regular and irregular wind farm designs was evaluated based on three groups of performance indicators: power generation, tower fatigue due to wake effects, and inter-array cabling systems.
Findings: The performance of regular and irregular wind farms based on power generation, tower fatigue due to wake effects, and cabling systems was as follows:
- Annual energy production in irregular wind farms is higher and more stable with respect to wind direction. This feature can indirectly lead to a reduction in imbalance costs in the electricity market. Greater stability relative to wind direction means that power output is less sensitive to fluctuations in wind direction.
- The maximum effective turbulence in the Frandsen model is 23.8% higher in irregular wind farms compared to regular ones. Using the minimum distance between turbines to mitigate the negative impact on effective turbulence can lead to a 20% reduction in costs. To improve performance in future wind farm designs, the implementation of irregular wind turbine patterns is recommended. Additionally, the minimum distance between turbines should be considered in relation to the added turbulence levels of the wake effect.
- Optimizing inter-array cables can increase cabling costs in regular wind farms by up to 1.15% compared to irregular wind farms.
Discussion and Conclusion: The inherent nature of wind turbines leads to irregular patterns when optimization algorithms are applied. Three performance indices were selected to compare regular and irregular patterns. The determination of these performance indices is site-independent and technical, identified through a multi-criteria decision analysis.
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