Wind Tunnels Show Terrain Affects Wind Farms
Iowa State engineers are using wind tunnel tests to study the effects of hilly terrain and turbine placement on power production. Hui Hu pulled a model wind turbine from the top of an office filing cabinet. The turbine tower was just 10 inches high. Its three blades were 10 inches in diameter. It was a perfect 1:320 scale reproduction of the 80-meter diameter wind turbines spinning across Iowa, the country’s second-ranked state in installed wind power capacity. That mini turbine is helping a research team led by Hu, an Iowa State Univ. associate professor of aerospace engineering, understand how hills, valleys and the placement of turbines affect the productivity of onshore wind farms.
Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news-Wind-Tunnels-Show-Terrain-Affects-Wind-Farms-121411.aspx
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