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At least 163 records · Page 9
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

Cumulative Effects Analysis for Wind Energy Development: Current Practices, Challenges, and Opportunities (IEA Wind White Paper)

The increasing global deployment of wind energy has given rise to concerns about potential adverse effects on certain wildlife species and habitats. The United States and European nations use environmental impact assessments (EIAs) to evaluate the environmental effects of wind energy and inform wind energy planning, siting, and operational processes. A key component of the EIA is the cumulative effects analysis/assessment (CEA). CEAs consider the effects of a proposed development in the context of past, present, and future developments, as well as other (non-wind) activities. However, practitioners worldwide have struggled to implement cost-effective and consistent processes for CEAs. Further, there is no widely accepted scientific methodology to assess cumulative effects. As wind energy deployment continues to expand, developing a consistent and scientifically based approach to CEAs may provide a more comparable across assessments and cost-effective means of reducing risk during siting, operations, and decommissioning/repowering, while minimizing regulatory hurdles. This technical report evaluates the current state of CEA practices, covering both land-based and offshore wind energy development. It focuses on impacts from the preconstruction, construction, and operational phases of the wind farm, which are the phases where most research currently exists. Emerging research addresses impacts from the perspective of life cycle assessments (LCAs), including the impacts of manufacturing and preconstruction (May et al. 2020). The technical report also summarizes CEA processes and guidelines, analysis approaches, and current challenges. Finally, it highlights opportunities for further research and coordination, and includes a geographically organized CEA information resource bank.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Multiscale Framework Simulates Utility-Scale Wind Plant in Its Natural Environment. First-ever simulation could lead to a vital understanding of wind plant performance

Wind plant performance depends on local environmental conditions—and understanding those conditions is crucial to research on wind plant dynamics. Factors such as sloping terrain, surface type and cover, atmospheric heating and cooling, and weather events all play a role in determining the winds that turbines convert into power. However, most models used for wind plant design and operation do not sufficiently account for environmental effects. This can limit our understanding of wind plant dynamics and, thus, our ability to design, site, and operate wind plants for maximum power production and reliability. To meet this challenge, Arthur and other LLNL researchers partnered with scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research; the University of California, Berkeley; the University of Colorado, Boulder; and Texas Tech University to develop and demonstrate a novel, mesoscale-tomicroscale wind plant modeling framework.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Winding Down: End of Service and Recycling for Wind Energy [Slides]

In this webinar hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy's WINDExchange initiative, experts from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory introduce attendees to key concepts in end-of-service processes for wind energy technologies and infrastructure, including decommissioning, repowering, and recycling. As wind energy projects across the United States become older, decisions about end-of-service options and component processing are of growing importance to project owners and operators, state and local decision-makers, and neighboring communities. There is also concern about the blade waste that must be processed, with a number of recycling solutions being developed to meet this need. This webinar introduces the processes and activities involved at the end of a wind energy project's lifespan; discusses the impacts these activities have on communities, landowners, the wind energy industry, and other stakeholders; explains different blade recycling methods; and discusses the future of recycling in the wind energy industry.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

AMR-Wind: A Performance-Portable, High-Fidelity Flow Solver for Wind Farm Simulations

We present AMR-Wind, a verified and validated high-fidelity computational-fluid-dynamics code for wind farm flows. AMR-Wind is a block-structured, adaptive-mesh, incompressible-flow solver that enables predictive simulations of the atmospheric boundary layer and wind plants. It is a highly scalable code designed for parallel high-performance computing with a specific focus on performance portability for current and future computing architectures, including graphical processing units (GPUs). In this paper, we detail the governing equations, the numerical methods, and the turbine models. Establishing a foundation for the correctness of the code, we present the results of formal verification and validation. The verification studies, which include a novel actuator line test case, indicate that AMR-Wind is spatially and temporally second-order accurate. The validation studies demonstrate that the key physics capabilities implemented in the code, including actuator disk models, actuator line models, turbulence models, and large eddy simulation (LES) models for atmospheric boundary layers, perform well in comparison to reference data from established computational tools and theory. We conclude with a demonstration simulation of a 12-turbine wind farm operating in a turbulent atmospheric boundary layer, detailing computational performance and realistic wake interactions.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Southwest Wind Power R&D Test Site Development at the National Wind Technology Center (CRADA CRD-12-00472 Final Report)

Southwest Windpower, Inc. (SWWP) has been designing and distributing small wind turbines for more than 22 years and is the recognized global leader in the design, manufacturing and distribution of small wind systems (400-3000 watts). The company has been a pioneer in the development of wind technology and has built and shipped more than 170,000 wind turbines to over 120 countries worldwide. Headquartered in Flagstaff AZ, SWWP has sales representatives in over 88 countries. Applications for SWWP systems include residential homes, commercial properties, micro grids, remote cabins, telecom transmitters, offshore platforms, water pumping and sailboats. In addition, U.S. Department of Defense uses SWWP’s products in Forward Operating Bases (FOB’s), USGS uses them for remote monitoring of glacier movements and the CIA uses them to provide power seismic monitoring. Today, SWWP plans development of new technologies to address distributed energy market needs and become even more aggressive in international markets. This strategy includes extensive Research, Development, Demonstration & Deployment (RDD&D) activities to improve existing production line into more simple, reliable, and cost-effective wind turbine systems. Important part of such activities is the field testing of the new systems, which should provide: (i) validation of the reliable operation of hardware and software; (ii) validation of numerical models of the system and its components; (iii) field comparison of various control and optimization strategies; (iv) customized reliability testing; (v) customized monitoring and analysis testing; and (vi) IEC certification testing (vii) filed demonstration of system performance and reliability. Such field testing facility should encompass multiple towers and appropriate data acquisition systems. SWWP is exploring to move part of the engineering department to Colorado, and execute its RDD&D strategies in this new location. Partnership with NREL will provide great insights into SWWP’s RDD&D processes and more efficient commercialization by utilizing NWTC as the field testing site, and working close with NREL personnel. NWTC is ideally suited to strain the design. NREL is very experienced with customized and IEC testing. During this project, Southwest Windpower aims to improve the value proposition of distributed renewable energy, and make it a competitive choice in the energy markets. As of today, more then 170,000 small wind turbines, manufactured in the U.S., are installed in more then 180 countries. With the improved value proposition, Southwest Windpower wants to create and address new market needs, substantially increase its sales domestically and internationally, which should have positive impact on the creation of American jobs, competitiveness of U.S. economy, export or U.S. products, and the use of renewable energy.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS1972

Wind sensitivity studies of a non-return wind tunnel, with a 216- by 432-mm (8.5- by 17.0-inch) test section, phase 1

The study to develop inlet and exit treatments which would minimize the effect of external wind on the test-section flow quality of a nonreturn wind tunnel is reported. The investigation was conducted in the Ames Research Center 40- by 80-Foot Wind Tunnel which served as the wind source. Several inlets and two exits were tested at wind directions ranging from 0 to 180 degrees and at wind-to-test-section velocity ratios between zero and one. For the best inlet configuration the flow quality was good, with a velocity deviation in each of the three directions generally less than 1/2 knot (0.26 m/sec) for wind velocities of 15 knots (7.7 m/sec) or less. The loss in total pressure due to the inlet treatment was low: about 0.03 of the test-section dynamic pressure.

Eckert, W. T.↗
NASA NTRS1971

The responses of rising or falling spherical wind sensors to atmospheric wind perturbations.

Analysis of the responses of rising or falling spherical wind sensors to atmospheric wind perturbations on the wind profile in the vertical, using Fourier transform techniques. The linearized equations of motion of a sensor that is subject to drag and gravitational body forces are developed by perturbing a sensor about an equilibrium uniform motion with wind fluctuations which have vertical variations. The wind environment and sensor velocities are decomposed with stochastic Fourier-Stieltjes integrals, and the linearized equations of motion are used to derive the response functions and phase angles of the sensor motions. The results of the analysis are used to analyze the response properties of the Jimsphere balloon wind sensor. It is shown that, in general, the transfer functions associated with the horizontal sensor motions are smaller than the transfer functions associated with the vertical sensor motions in the omega times T product range from zero to infinity, omega being the wind perturbation frequency and T a time constant of the system. Thus, the sensor is more responsive to vertical than to horizontal air motions.

Fichtl, G. H.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Wind sensitivity studies of a non-return wind tunnel with a 216- by 432-mm (8.5- by 17.0-inches) test section, phase 2

The refinement of inlet and exit treatments were studied which would minimize the effect of external wind on the test-section flow quality of a nonreturn wind tunnel. The investigation was conducted in the Ames Research Center 40- by 80-foot Wind Tunnel which served as the wind source. Several inlets and two exits were tested at wind directions ranging from 0 to 180 degrees and at wind-to-test-section velocity ratios from zero to somewhat greater than one. For the best inlet configuration the flow quality was good, with a velocity deviation in each of the three component directions generally less. The loss in total pressure due to the inlet treatment was low: about 0.035 of the test-section dynamic pressure for the no-wind case.

Eckert, W. T.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Preliminary results of the large experimental wind turbine phase of the national wind energy program

A major phase of the wind energy program is the development of reliable wind turbines for supplying cost-competitive electrical energy. This paper discusses the preliminary results of two projects in this phase of the program. First an experimental 100 kW wind turbine design and its status are reviewed. Also discussed are the results of two parallel design studies for determining the configurations and power levels for wind turbines with minimum energy costs. These studies show wind energy costs of 7 to 1.5 c/kWH for wind turbines produced in quantities of 100 to 1000 a year and located at sites having average winds of 12 to 18 mph.

Thomas, R. L.↗
NASA NTRS1978

An analysis of maximum horizontal wind speeds and associated parameters recorded at NASA's 150-Meter Ground Winds Tower facility at Kennedy Space Center, Florida

Continuous horizontal wind speed measurements were processed and classified as a function of tower level (10, 18, 60, and 150 meters) and period of reference day, month, season: winter (October through March) and summer (April through September), and annual. Tabulations were made of the daily maximum horizontal wind speed, time of ocurrence, and five associated parameters: mean horizontal wind speed, maximum vertical gusts (i.e., updraft and downdraft), and mean and instantaneous directions. Analyses using these data included means, extremes, standard deviations, and frequency distributions. Comparisons of intensity of maximum horizontal wind speeds determined in this year of data are made with maximum values recorded at Kennedy Space Center during another non-hurricane-occurrence year (1967) and with values during 1966 through 1972 when six hurricanes affected the area after the Ground Winds Tower facility became operational. Wind flow in the lowest 150 meters of the atmosphere was measured for the identification of hazards involved in wind shear encounter relative to ascent and descent of the space shuttle and conventional aircraft.

Alexander, M. B.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Comparison of low-altitude wind-shear statistics derived from measured and proposed standard wind profiles

Wind shear statistics were calculated for a simulated set of wind profiles based on a proposed standard wind field data base. Wind shears were grouped in altitude in altitude bands of 100 ft between 100 and 1400 ft and in wind shear increments of 0.025 knot/ft. Frequency distributions, means, and standard deviations for each altitude band were derived for the total sample were derived for both sets. It was found that frequency distributions in each altitude band for the simulated data set were more dispersed below 800 ft and less dispersed above 900 ft than those for the measured data set. Total sample frequency of occurrence for the two data sets was about equal for wind shear values between +0.075 knot/ft, but the simulated data set had significantly larger values for all wind shears outside these boundaries. It is shown that normal distribution in both data sets neither data set was normally distributed; similar results are observed from the cumulative frequency distributions.

Usry, J. W.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Ionization and thermal equilibrium models for O star winds based on time-independent radiation-driven wind theory

Ab initio ionization and thermal equilibrium models are calculated for the winds of O stars using the results of steady state radiation-driven wind theory to determine the input parameters. Self-consistent methods are used for the roles of H, He, and the most abundant heavy elements in both the statistical and the thermal equilibrium. The model grid was chosen to encompass all O spectral subtypes and the full range of luminosity classes. Results of earlier modeling of O star winds by Klein and Castor (1978) are reproduced and used to motivate improvements in the treatment of the hydrogen equilibrium. The wind temperature profile is revealed to be sensitive to gross changes in the heavy element abundances, but insensitive to other factors considered such as the mass-loss rate and velocity law. The reduced wind temperatures obtained in observing the luminosity dependence of the Si IV lambda 1397 wind absorption profile are shown to eliminate any prospect of explaining the observed O VI lambda 1036 line profiles in terms of time-independent radiation-driven wind theory.

Drew, J. E.↗
NASA NTRS2004

The Genesis Mission Solar Wind Collection: Solar-Wind Statistics over the Period of Collection

The NASA Genesis spacecraft was launched August 8, 2001 on a mission to collect samples of solar wind for 2 years and return them to earth September 8, 2004. Detailed analyses of the solar wind ions implanted into high-purity collection substrates will be carried out using various mass spectrometry techniques. These analyses are expected to determine key isotopic ratios and elemental abundances in the solar wind, and by extension, in the solar photosphere. Further, the photospheric composition is thought to be representative of the solar nebula with a few exceptions, so that the Genesis mission will provide a baseline for the average solar nebula composition with which to compare present-day compositions of planets, meteorites, and asteroids. The collection of solar wind samples is almost complete. Collection began for most substrates in early December, 2001, and is scheduled to be complete on April 2 of this year. It is critical to understand the solar-wind conditions during the collection phase of the mission. For this reason, plasma ion and electron spectrometers are continuously monitoring the solar wind proton density, velocity, temperature, the alpha/proton ratio, and angular distribution of suprathermal electrons. Here we report on the solar-wind conditions as observed by these in-situ instruments during the first half of the collection phase of the mission, from December, 2001 to present.

Barraclough, B. L.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Wind Tunnel Investigation of Ground Wind Loads for Ares Launch Vehicle

A three year program was conducted at the NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) Aeroelasticity Branch (AB) and Transonic Dynamics Tunnel (TDT) with the primary objective to acquire scaled steady and dynamic ground-wind loads (GWL) wind-tunnel data for rollout, on-pad stay, and on-pad launch configurations for the Ares I-X Flight Test Vehicle (FTV). The experimental effort was conducted to obtain an understanding of the coupling of aerodynamic and structural characteristics that can result in large sustained wind-induced oscillations (WIO) on such a tall and slender launch vehicle and to generate a unique database for development and evaluation of analytical methods for predicting steady and dynamic GWL, especially those caused by vortex shedding, and resulting in significant WIO. This paper summarizes the wind-tunnel test program that employed two dynamically-aeroelastically scaled GWL models based on the Ares I-X Flight Test Vehicle. The first model tested, the GWL Checkout Model (CM), was a relatively simple model with a secondary objective of restoration and development of processes and methods for design, fabrication, testing, and data analysis of a representative ground wind loads model. In addition, parametric variations in surface roughness, Reynolds number, and protuberances (on/off) were investigated to determine effects on GWL characteristics. The second windtunnel model, the Ares I-X GWL Model, was significantly more complex and representative of the Ares I-X FTV and included the addition of simplified rigid geometrically-scaled models of the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Mobile Launch Platform (MLP) and Launch Complex 39B primary structures. Steady and dynamic base bending moment as well as model response and steady and unsteady pressure data was acquired during the testing of both models. During wind-tunnel testing of each model, flow conditions (speed and azimuth) where significant WIO occurred, were identified and thoroughly investigated. Scaled data from the Ares I-X GWL model test was used in the determination of worst-case loads for the analysis of Ares I-X FTV design wind conditions. Finally, this paper includes a brief discussion of the limited full-scale GWL data acquired during the rollout and on-pad stay of the Ares I-X FTV that was launched from KSC on October 28, 2009.

Keller, Donald F.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Integrating Wind Profiling Radars and Radiosonde Observations with Model Point Data to Develop a Decision Support Tool to Assess Upper-Level Winds for Space Launch

On the day-of-launch, the 45th Weather Squadron (45 WS) Launch Weather Officers (LWOs) monitor the upper-level winds for their launch customers to include NASA's Launch Services Program and NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program. They currently do not have the capability to display and overlay profiles of upper-level observations and numerical weather prediction model forecasts. The LWOs requested the Applied Meteorology Unit (AMU) develop a tool in the form of a graphical user interface (GUI) that will allow them to plot upper-level wind speed and direction observations from the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) 50 MHz tropospheric wind profiling radar, KSC Shuttle Landing Facility 915 MHz boundary layer wind profiling radar and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) Automated Meteorological Processing System (AMPS) radiosondes, and then overlay forecast wind profiles from the model point data including the North American Mesoscale (NAM) model, Rapid Refresh (RAP) model and Global Forecast System (GFS) model to assess the performance of these models. The AMU developed an Excel-based tool that provides an objective method for the LWOs to compare the model-forecast upper-level winds to the KSC wind profiling radars and CCAFS AMPS observations to assess the model potential to accurately forecast changes in the upperlevel profile through the launch count. The AMU wrote Excel Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) scripts to automatically retrieve model point data for CCAFS (XMR) from the Iowa State University Archive Data Server (http://mtarchive.qeol.iastate.edu) and the 50 MHz, 915 MHz and AMPS observations from the NASA/KSC Spaceport Weather Data Archive web site (http://trmm.ksc.nasa.gov). The AMU then developed code in Excel VBA to automatically ingest and format the observations and model point data in Excel to ready the data for generating Excel charts for the LWO's. The resulting charts allow the LWOs to independently initialize the three models 0-hour forecasts against the observations to determine which is the best performing model and then overlay the model forecasts on time-matched observations during the launch countdown to further assess the model performance and forecasts. This paper will demonstrate integration of observed and predicted atmospheric conditions into a decision support tool and demonstrate how the GUI is implemented in operations.

Bauman, William H., III↗
NASA NTRS2015

Development of a Climatology of Vertically Complete Wind Profiles from Doppler Radar Wind Profiler Systems

Assessment of space vehicle loads and trajectories during design requires a large sample of wind profiles at the altitudes where winds affect the vehicle. Traditionally, this altitude region extends from near 8-14 km to address maximum dynamic pressure upon ascent into space, but some applications require knowledge of measured wind profiles at lower altitudes. Such applications include crew capsule pad abort and plume damage analyses. Two Doppler Radar Wind Profiler (DRWP) systems exist at the United States Air Force (USAF) Eastern Range and at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Kennedy Space Center. The 50-MHz DRWP provides wind profiles every 3-5 minutes from roughly 2.5-18.5 km, and five 915-MHz DRWPs provide wind profiles every 15 minutes from approximately 0.2-3.0 km. Archived wind profiles from all systems underwent rigorous quality control (QC) processes, and concurrent measurements from the QC'ed 50- and 915-MHz DRWP archives were spliced into individual profiles that extend from about 0.2-18.5 km. The archive contains combined profiles from April 2000 to December 2009, and thousands of profiles during each month are available for use by the launch vehicle community. This paper presents the details of the QC and splice methodology, as well as some attributes of the archive.

Barbre, Robert, Jr.↗
NASA NTRS2015

An All-Fiber, Modular, Compact Wind Lidar for Wind Sensing and Wake Vortex Applications

This paper discusses an innovative, compact and eyesafe coherent lidar system developed for wind and wake vortex sensing applications. With an innovative all-fiber and modular transceiver architecture, the wind lidar system has reduced size, weight and power requirements, and provides enhanced performance along with operational elegance. This all-fiber architecture is developed around fiber seed laser coupled to uniquely configured fiber amplifier modules. The innovative features of this lidar system, besides its all fiber architecture, include pulsewidth agility and user programmable 3D hemispherical scanner unit. Operating at a wavelength of 1.5457 microns and with a PRF of up to 20 KHz, the lidar transmitter system is designed as a Class 1 system with dimensions of 30"(W) x 46"(L) x 60"(H). With an operational range exceeding 10 km, the wind lidar is configured to measure wind velocities of greater than 120 m/s with an accuracy of +/- 0.2 m/s and allow range resolution of less than 15 m. The dynamical configuration capability of transmitted pulsewidths from 50 ns to 400 ns allows high resolution wake vortex measurements. The scanner uses innovative liquid metal slip ring and is built using 3D printer technology with light weight nylon. As such, it provides continuous 360 degree azimuth and 180 degree elevation scan angles with an incremental motion of 0.001 degree. The lidar system is air cooled and requires 110 V for its operation. This compact and modular lidar system is anticipated to provide mobility, reliability, and ease of field deployment for wind and wake vortex measurements. Currently, this wind lidar is undergoing validation tests under various atmospheric conditions. Preliminary results of these field measurements of wind characteristics that were recently carried out in Colorado are discussed.

Prasad, Narasimha S.↗
NASA NTRS2016

CubeSat Constellation Cloud Winds(C3Winds) A New Wind Observing System to Study Mesoscale Cloud Dynamics and Processes

The CubeSat Constellation Cloud Winds (C3Winds) is a NASA Earth Venture Instrument (EV-I) concept with the primary objective to better understand mesoscale dynamics and their structures in severe weather systems. With potential catastrophic damage and loss of life, strong extratropical and tropical cyclones (ETCs and TCs) have profound three-dimensional impacts on the atmospheric dynamic and thermodynamic structures, producing complex cloud precipitation patterns, strong low-level winds, extensive tropopause folds, and intense stratosphere-troposphere exchange. Employing a compact, stereo IR-visible imaging technique from two formation-flying CubeSats, C3Winds seeks to measure and map high-resolution (2 km) cloud motion vectors (CMVs) and cloud geometric height (CGH) accurately by tracking cloud features within 5-15 min. Complementary to lidar wind observations from space, the high-resolution wind fields from C3Winds will allow detailed investigations on strong low-level wind formation in an occluded ETC development, structural variations of TC inner-core rotation, and impacts of tropopause folding events on tropospheric ozone and air quality. Together with scatterometer ocean surface winds, C3Winds will provide a more comprehensive depiction of atmosphere-boundary-layer dynamics and interactive processes. Built upon mature imaging technologies and long history of stereoscopic remote sensing, C3Winds provides an innovative, cost-effective solution to global wind observations with potential of increased diurnal sampling via CubeSat constellation.

mesoscale dynamics↗