Abstract
This paper presents the results of detailed 3D CFD analyses of the aerodynamic interaction between two MEXICO wind turbines. The interest of this study is focused on the flow field, aerodynamic load fluctuation and performance of the downstream turbine in the wake of the upstream turbine. A CFD analysis code, rFlow3D, developed in Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is adopted for this purpose. Computations in this paper are conducted using the Quasi-DNS solver because it is well adapted for relatively low Reynolds numbers in the order of 10^5〜10^6. The results show that the velocity fluctuation in the wake and the wake interference ratio dominate the aerodynamic load fluctuation of the downstream rotor. Furthermore, the power change trend of downstream rotor due to the change of the lateral distance between the rotors is also confirmed. The results will contribute to the design guideline of large-scale wind farms.
