Open AccessA new method for spatial allocation of turbines in a wind farm based on lightning protection efficiency
Author(s) -
Zhang Li,
Lao Huanjing,
Wang Guozheng,
Zou Liang,
Zhao Tong,
Fang Zhiyang
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
wind energy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.743
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 1099-1824
pISSN - 1095-4244
DOI - 10.1002/we.2357
Subject(s) - turbine , lightning (connector) , wind power , marine engineering , turbine blade , lightning strike , environmental science , propeller , meteorology , power (physics) , engineering , aerospace engineering , electrical engineering , lightning arrester , geography , physics , quantum mechanics
Existing studies of the spatial allocation of wind farms are typically based on turbine power generation efficiency and rarely consider the damage caused by lightning strikes. However, lightning damage seriously affects the economic performance of wind farms because of the high cost of repairing or replacing damaged blades. This paper proposes a method for the spatial optimization of multiple turbines based on lightning protection dependability. Firstly, the lightning protection efficiency of turbine blade protection systems is analyzed by combining the physical mechanisms of lightning leader progression with a conventional electro‐geometric model to develop an electro‐geometric model of turbine blades (EGMTB). Then, the optimized spatial allocation of multiple turbines in a wind farm is investigated using the EGMTB. The results are illustrated from an example wind farm with 1.5 MW turbines, which shows that the optimal spacing between two turbines perpendicular to the prevailing wind direction L ⊥ is 4R‐6R, where R is the length of a turbine blade. This spacing is shown to effectively shield turbine blades from lightning damage over a wide range of lightning currents (>26‐60 kA). Note that, the suggested L ⊥ will be smaller considering the influence of lightning polarity as it takes more difficulty developing upward leader (UL) in the condition of positive lightning striking. Experiments verify the effectiveness and correctness of this method.