Power output of a wind turbine installed in an already existing viaduct

Abstract

The maximum power production of a turbine installed beneath an already existing viaduct in Gran Canaria (Spain) is studied based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation. Porous discs are introduced in order to create a pressure drop, which is traduced into a power production. This method is a contrasted tool that has been largely used in a wide range of studies and gives a good approximation to the potential of a wind turbine in a specific location. Porosity of the disc varies in a wide interval to found the point where power output is maximal. CFD results aie used to analyze the effect of incidence of wind flow in a porous disc which simulates the resistance of turbine blades against the wind. Different configurations corresponding to variation of parameters and number of turbines are studied, and conclusions regarding the optimal configuration of wind farm are provided. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.