Measuring Instruments

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Ameya Sathe
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Why know about measuring instruments in wind energy?

Main fuel for energy is wind Main source of loading is also wind For offshore turbines it is also waves Very important for validation of models Very important for further research and sophistication of models

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Basic terminology

High accuracy, but low precision

Sensors Transducers Accuracy and precision High precision, but low accuracy Reliability Sampling rate Sensitivity Why learn basic terminology? Uncertainty in measurements Make some decisions, for e.g. sampling rate

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Types of instruments

Cup Anemometry

SODAR

LIDAR

Thermometer

Strain gauge

Wave buoys

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Cup Anemometer

* Requires met mast

Rotation proportional to wind speed Mechanical counters for registering rotation Electrical or electronic voltage changes Lightweight, small and low friction sensors

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Sonic anemometer

* Requires met mast

Wind speed derived from flight times sound pulses Measures also turbulence, stability Flow distortion due to probe head

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Met mast anemometry

Usually 10 min averages recorded Absolutely essential to obtain quality anemometers 10% error in the measurement causes 33% error in the energy content If this flawed wind speed is to be extrapolated at higher heights then the error gets magnified Typical cost of a well calibrated anemometer with 1% error is 700-900 $

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Met mast anemometry

Best to fit the anemometer at the top of the mast at hub height to reduce uncertainty Thin cylindrical towers to minimize tower shadow Data logging is done on electronic chips Artic conditions require a heated anemometer

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Met mast anemometry

Corrections for tower shadow Corrections for mast movement Icing/Deterioration/Maintenance Calibration (wind tunnel, other anemometers)

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SODAR
Based on Doppler effect Emission of sound waves and backscatterring (from aerosol) Total distance travelled is measured (indicates position) A shift in the frequency is also measured, which gives the velocity of the wind

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Doppler effect
Shift in the frequency related to the velocity of aerosol (and thus the wind)

speed aerosol

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SODAR
No tower is required Accuracy quite reasonable Calibration of the instrument is difficult A discrepancy in the temperature measurement can give an error in the wind speed Problems in the use at offshore sites due to the noise of waves There is a limit to which reliable wind speed measurements could be obtained at greater heights
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LIDAR
Also based on Doppler effect and measure wind velocity Emission of laser and backscattering Doppler shift in the frequency Frequency shift is proportional to the wind speed and the speed of light Vertical resolution of 5-20 m

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LIDAR
Does not require a measuring mast Low backscatter at extreme air clarity Difficulties in rainy conditions for measuring vertical wind speed

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Comparison of the cup anemometer, SODAR and LIDAR measurements

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ADCP
Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler Measures water currents Mounted on seabed; 4 beams Doppler shift (sample rate 1-2 Hz) Currents (3D) + waves Hs, Tz, direction, sea level, wave spectrum,

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ADCP
No long string current meters are required anymore Measures absolute speed of water Measures a water column upto 1000m long Runs out of batteries rapidly If water is clear then reliable data may not be obtained Bubbles in turbulent water can cause the instrument to miscalculate the current

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Wave Buoys
Measure 3D motion of water particles Contains an onboard accelerometer to measure vertical acceleration Corrections are made to take into account the horizontal motion of the buoys May require manual data gathering or remote data gathering

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Strain gauge
Used in load measurement Measurement of resistance changes Resistance is proportional to area Resistance is related to strain by a quantity known as gauge factor Installed on the blades or the support structure

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Strain gauge
Many types like foil, mechanical etc. A very small signal is produced and hence signal conditioning is required It is important to keep the stretching within the elastic limit of the material A Wheatstone or Kelvin bridge circuit is used

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Metbuoy OWEZ I
ADCP
4 year, 2 kilometres south west of mast site 10 m.a.s.l., stabilized 2 anemometers 1 wind vane, air temperature, sea temperature

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Examples of measured variables

Wind speed
Temperature

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Examples of empirical relations

Stable conditions

subjected to various values based on measurements

k = 0.35-0.4

von Karman constant

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RECAP Thermal effects: similarity theory

Recall neutral case: dU/dz = u*/(k z) Non-neutral case: extra nondimensional parameter: =z/Lm
Dimensional analysis: windshear should be similar for scaled flows (Monin-Obukhov) k z/u* dU/dz = (z/Lm) for z/Lm0, 1 (neutral) Integration leads to expressions for U(z) (similar expressions for temperature T)

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Example of measurement uncertainty

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Example of measurement uncertainty

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Experience gained from analyzing the measurements

Obtain the uncertainties for all the variables under scrutiny Different measurement campaigns have different format of data logging. First obtain the format with which you are most comfortable. Carry out a sensitivity analysis on the variable which has a significant effect on the analysis Any analysis is based on theoretical assumptions. Hence filter the values which do not conform to the assumptions in the theory Do not trust the previous research blindly and verify for yourself the applicability of the results from previous research

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Summary
Measurements are indisputable to any branch of science For wind energy, wind speed, loads and wave measurements are crucial Cup anemometers -> wind speed Wave buoys -> wave measurements Strain gauges -> Load measurements www.noordzeewind.nl gives the data at Egmond. You can download and analyze the data
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Thank you

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