Impact of Coherent Turbulence on Wind Turbine Aeroelastic Response and Its Simulation: Preprint

In this paper, we present a brief overview of our recent research results regarding the impact of organized or coherent inflow turbulence on the dynamic response of operating wind turbines. Previous field experimentation has demonstrated that the greatest structural fatigue damage tends to occur during the nighttime hours from coherent turbulence that develops in the stable, nocturnal atmosphericboundary layer. We have found that under such conditions, intense vertical wind shear and temperature gradients create resonant flow fields that are capable of imparting short-period loading and vibrational energy as wind turbine rotor blades pass through regions of organized or coherent turbulence. This energy is subsequently propagated throughout the remainder of the structure, where it isoften locally dissipated. We also briefly discuss our recent progress in developing a numerical simulation that includes such coherent inflow conditions that can be used to excite wind turbine design codes.