Measuring wind turbulence
A pair of continuous wave ZephIR 300 wind lidars have been acquired by private institution of higher learning Cornell University.
The Lab took possession of the specialist equipment for ground-based remote sensing of wind flow in the atmosphere. The ZephIR 300 accurately and precisely measures the wind and turbulence interactions between the atmosphere and wind turbines.
ZephIR 300, a continuous wave (CW) wind lidar, is said to provide high resolution measurements at an unmatched data rate of 50Hz. Every second, 50 points are measured in the free space targeted by the sensor, and chosen by the user, anywhere from 10 metres (33 feet) up to 200 metres (656 feet).
The effect of Turbulence Intensity (TI) on wind turbines is of continual interest as the impact of irregular wind loading can effect both production from the turbine, but also the operating costs of the turbine with increased stresses and strains reducing component life.
