Implicit large-eddy simulation of wind turbine wakes and turbine-wake interactions using the vorticity transport equations

Recent development of a multi-dimensional upwind-based finite volume scheme for the vorticity transport equations (Foti and Duraisamy, Comp & Fluids 167, 17-32) has enabled simulation of vortical coherent structures on relatively coarse grids while maintaining key flow invariants. In this work, we assess the ability of the scheme to simulate high Reynolds number wind turbine wakes. The wake of a wind turbine is composed of several large coherent structures, which dominate the unsteady flow field. The wake of the MEXICO wind turbine blades is discretized on an adaptively refined mesh through actuator line model parameterization. The accurate statistics of the near wake compare well with experimental measurements while employing a relatively coarse grid with a resolution of 32 cells per rotor diameter. Despite the coarse grid resolution, pertinent vortical structures are captured and preserved throughout the wake and through changes in grid refinement. The reduced computational costs of the present scheme allows multiple turbines to be simulated and capture the complex vortical structures present in turbine-turbine wake interactions