Articles | Volume 11, issue 9
https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-11-3531-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-11-3531-2026
Research article
 | 
16 Sep 2026
Research article |  | 16 Sep 2026

Investigating wake reproduction of a model-scale wind turbine: experimental measurements versus large eddy simulation with actuator line

Emmanuel Gillyns, Sophia Buckingham, Jeroen van Beeck, and Grégoire Winckelmans

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Revised manuscript accepted for WES
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Cited articles

Argonne National Laboratory: Nek5000 Theory, https://nek5000.github.io/NekDoc/ (last access: 15 September 2026), 2023. a, b
Barlas, E., Buckingham, S., and van Beeck, J.: Roughness Effects on Wind-Turbine Wake Dynamics in a Boundary-Layer Wind Tunnel, Bound.-Lay. Meteorol., 158, 27–42, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10546-015-0083-z, 2015. a
Bastankhah, M. and Porté-Agel, F.: A New Miniature Wind Turbine for Wind Tunnel Experiments, Part II: Wake Structure and Flow Dynamics, Energies, 10, 923, https://doi.org/10.3390/en10070923, 2017. a, b
Boorsma, K. and Schepers, J.: Rotor experiments in controlled conditions continued: New Mexico, J. Phys. Conf. Ser., 753, 022004, https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/753/2/022004, 2016. a
Chamorro, L., Arndt, R., and Sotiropoulos, F.: Reynolds number dependence of turbulence statistics in the wake of wind turbines, Wind Energy, 15, 733–742, https://doi.org/10.1002/we.501, 2011. a
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We built a small wind turbine model and tested it in a wind tunnel while improving computer simulations. Results show simulations accurately predict wind turbine wake behavior behind spinning blades, matching measurements. Some differences remain near blade roots. Combining experiments with refined models helps engineers predict wind turbine performance with greater confidence, supporting more efficient renewable energy design.
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