Modelling loads on closely-spaced rotors

Abstract

Multi-rotor turbines offer the possibility of exploiting local blockage effects to improve energy yield through deploying rotors in close proximity to each other. A consequence of closely spacing rotors in such systems is increased mean and transient aerodynamic loading on the blades compared to single rotor systems. While variations in blade loading due to passing neighbouring rotors are observed in experiments and numerical simulations, mid-fidelity actuator models, such as the actuator line, may require bespoke sub-models and corrections for application to multi-rotor systems.