Project Description
LBwind: Simulation of local wind fields using Lattice-Boltzmann methods
The present project consists in the development of methods for the prediction of the power generated by windmill farms. To this aim, we will use numerical methods for the simulation of the fluid flow in the farm; these methods will be based on the numerical solution of the Boltzmann equations (lattice Boltzmann methods, LBM), coupled with a regional weather forecast using Numerical Weather Predicion tools. This second aspect has already been developed by our group; the development of the first class of methods for the prediction of the local wind field is the aim of this project.
The starting point will be the tools already developed by our group for LBM simulation of fluid flow, which will be extended with new models and methods to render feasible the simulation of windmill farms. The main developments will encompass: methods for the acceleration of the calculation through the shortening of the transient calculation using preconditioners and multigrid meshes; development of new methods for representing boundary conditions for momentum, for the simulation of the effect of the terrain and of the windmill wake; and the extension of the method for the simulation of complex orography.
The project considers also the individual validation of each of the models develope, using to this end simple configurations with for which an analitical solution is available, reliable experimental data have been published, or benchmark computational results exist. Additionally, the ensemble of models will be eventually used in a real windmill farm to compare the predicted power with the actually-generated one, and to evaluate the accuracy gain afforded by the present method by comparison with the ue of just NWP models.
In addition of the application of the proposed developments to the target problem (viz the simulation of the wind field), it is expected that the project results will contribute, given their more general nature, to the advancement of the state of the art in numerical simulation of fluid flow using LBM.
Project funded by the Spanish Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia as ENE2007-67217/ALT Simulación del campo local de vientos mediante métodos de Lattice-Boltzmann para la predicción de la potencia entregada por parque. It ran from 01 Oct 2007 to 30 Sept 2010