For modern wind turbines, the effects of inflow wind fluctuations on the loads are becoming increasingly critical. Based on field measurements and simulations, we identify “bump” events responsible for high damage equivalent loads. In this article, we introduce a new characteristic of a wind field: the virtual center of wind pressure which highly correlates to the identified load events observed in the operational measured data.

Unexpected load events measured on operating wind turbines are not accurately predicted by numerical simulations. We introduce the periods of constant wind speed as a possible cause of such events. We measure and characterize their statistics from atmospheric data. Further comparisons to standard modelled data and experimental turbulence data suggest that such events are not intrinsic to small-scale turbulence and are not accurately described by current standard wind models.

This study utilizes a method to analyze power conversion dynamics across different operational states, addressing non-stationarity with a correlation matrix algorithm. Findings reveal distinct dynamics for each state, emphasizing their impact on system behavior and offering a solution to hysteresis effects in power conversion dynamics.

To investigate the impact of turbulence on aerodynamic forces, we first model turbulent kinetic energy decay theoretically using the Taylor length scale and employ this model to create a digital wind tunnel replica for simulating grid-generated turbulence. Experimental validation shows good alignment among theory, simulations, and experiments, paving the way for aerodynamic simulations. Finally, we successfully use the digital replica to obtain force coefficients for a 2D rotor blade section.

This paper presents two methods on how to estimate the lift force that is created by a wing. These methods were experimentally assessed in a wind tunnel. Furthermore, an active trailing-edge flap, as seen on airplanes for example, is used to alleviate fluctuating loads that are created within the employed wind tunnel. Thereby, an active flow control device that can potentially serve on wind turbines to lower fatigue or lower the material used for the blades is examined.

When ice forms on wind turbine blades, the smooth surface of the blade becomes rough which changes its aerodynamic performance. So, it is very important to know how to simulate this rough surface since most CFD simulations depend on assuming a smooth surface. This article compares different mathematical models specialized in simulating rough surfaces with results of real ice profiles. The study presents the most accurate model and recommends using it in future airflow simulation of iced blades.

We extend the common characterisation and modelling of wind time series with respect to higher-order statistics. We present an approach which enables us to obtain the general multipoint statistics of wind time series measured. This work is an important step in a more comprehensive description of wind also including extreme events. Important is that we show how stochastic equations can be derived from measured wind data which can be used to model long time series.