A New Moving Surface Drag Model for Large Eddy Simulations of Offshore Wind Energy Applications

Eddy resolving numerical simulations of air flow in wind farms provide valuable data and knowledge relevant to designing, building, and maintaining improved wind energy infrastructure. This presentation will first provide a general overview of various Large Eddy Simulation (LES) based research activities at Johns Hopkins University and how LES data has been used to develop improved engineering models for wind farms.

The second more specialized part of the presentation will focus on numerical simulations of the interactions between wind and ocean waves which is essential for climate modeling and a wide range of offshore operations such as offshore wind farms. LES of the marine atmospheric boundary layer requires parameterization of surface fluxes at the air-water interface. Current momentum flux parameterizations primarily use wave-phase adapting computational grids, incurring high computational costs, or use an equilibrium model based on Monin-Obukhov similarity theory for rough surfaces that cannot resolve wave phase information.

To include wave phase-resolving physics at a cost like the equilibrium model, the Moving Surface Drag (MOSD) model is introduced. The model is formulated to be applicable to a broad range of wave fields and its ability to represent cross-swell and multiple wavelength cases is illustrated. Additionally, the model is applied to LES of a laboratory-scale fixed-bottom offshore wind turbine model, and the results are compared with wind tunnel experimental data.  The model's simplicity and minimal computational needs make it valuable for studying turbulent atmospheric-scale flows over the sea, particularly in offshore wind energy research. Research is funded by the National Science Foundation and is carried out in collaboration with Mr. Manuel Ayala and Prof. Dennice Gayme.

Oceantic Network’s new monthly Research + Innovation Webinar Series features the latest research in offshore wind and ocean renewables. Network members will share updates on groundbreaking technologies, scientific advancements, and technical insights from around the globe that can be directly applied to project development and industry growth. Our goal is to unpack the intricacies of emergent issues, diving into the details that matter most to those at the forefront of the industry.