Wind Direction Dual Sensor Configuration for the HAWT Wind Turbine Yaw System

The conventional method of aligning the rotor of a horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT) with the wind direction creates a well-documented yaw error due to the cyclical disturbance of the airflow caused by the spinning blades. This disturbance impacts the measurements from the sole wind vane sensor, which is generally positioned at the rear of the nacelle’s upper section. Reviewing existing research reveals that most investigations concentrate on several key areas: examining wake patterns generated behind the rotor, developing yaw error correction mechanisms across various control tiers, integrating external detection systems like LiDARs and SoDARs, performing indirect power assessments to quantify yaw error, often incorporating artificial neural networks, conducting SCADA-driven analyses. Despite these efforts, the persistent yaw error continues to result in substantial power losses exceeding $7 billion annually across the global wind energy sector.This study introduces an innovative sensor utilization strategy for accurately determining wind direction. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling of the Siemens SWT-3.6-120 turbine uncovered turbulent vortices above the nacelle, prompting researchers to explore alternative sensor placement solutions. Extensive analysis supported the implementation of dual panoramic (“stereo”) sensors positioned symmetrically on both sides of the nacelle, replacing the conventional single top-mounted sensor. Sensor placement optimization was achieved through numerical simulations in Ansys CFX and functional modeling in Matlab/Simulink.The simulations encompassed the full range of operational wind speeds, from the minimum operational threshold of 3 m/s to the rated speed of 12 m/s, across typical tip speed ratios (TSR) ranging from 3 to 7. This novel approach demonstrates 3–4 times greater precision than traditional wind vanes, achieving near-perfect alignment with minimal yaw error (less than 0.8 degrees). Notably, this method remains compatible with various sensor technologies for wind direction detection.The research findings could pave the way for future studies aimed at enhancing HAWT yaw error correction through multi-sensor system integration. Moreover, this approach holds a significant potential for adoption by wind turbine manufacturers seeking improved performance.