Investigation of wake steering control effects on the dynamic responses of 15 MW semi-submersible floating wind farms

Abstract

Wake effects between turbines become more pronounced as turbine size increases. Velocity deficits and increased turbulence intensity have a negative effect on both power output and lifetime fatigue. However, power generation can be improved, and turbine loads reduced, through yaw control of individual floating wind turbines (FWTs). In this paper, a dynamic wake meandering wind farm modeling tool is used to simulate three semi-submersible FWTs positioned in the stream-wise direction, investigating the influence on power production and fatigue damage of FWTs in the wind farm. Two wake steering control schemes are considered in this study, namely active wake steering (AWS) and a yaw strategy based on the secondary steering effect of the wake. The cost function is employed to evaluate the overall performance of two types of steering strategies considering the performance of output power and short-term fatigue damage. The results show that wake steering can increase overall power production and reduce fatigue loads at low wind speeds. However, at high wind speeds, the effect of yaw control on power generation is not significant. The overall economy of the wind farm increases at a yaw angle of 5° according to the cost function for all conditions. This work facilitates gaining deep insights into the dynamic behavior of FWTs in a wind farm and a good understanding of the role of AWS and secondary wake steering. The findings offer an essential basis for optimizing wind farm layouts to achieve significant economic benefits.