Numerical Simulations of an Array of Offshore Turbines and its Effect on the Local Circulation

A one-way numerical coupling between the atmosphere and the ocean was performed to study the effects of offshore wind farms on the ocean. Offshore wind turbine clusters were modeled inside of the atmospheric simulations at a Reynolds number of Re_D=U_refD/ν=9.77x10⁷. For the ocean model, the sea surface height and the bathymetry were at a fixed height. The wind flow surrounding the offshore wind farms was the driving force for the ocean model.



The velocity field around the offshore wind farm introduced a space-time varying wind shear on the sea surface that drove the large flow structures developing throughout the ocean domain. Different wind turbine clusters were configured to better understand effects of wind turbine spacing on the ocean upwelling and downwelling, vorticity, and stratification processes.



Results show that the spacing between wind turbines affected the ocean circulation and mixing. Although the wind turbine induction zones and wakes would lead to localized effects on the ocean, the spacing between wind turbines could promote enhanced effects on the ocean currents due to the wind turbine interaction. Increasing the wind turbine spacing would lead to decreased wind turbine interaction effects. Further discussion of the results will be presented at the conference presentation.