WindStation

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
WindStation
Basic data

developer menzio GmbH
Publishing year 17th September 2017
Current  version 1.3.23
(February 5, 2019)
operating system Windows
category Wind energy
License proprietary software commercial software
German speaking Yes
official website of menzio GmbH and WindStation

WindStation is wind energy software with which yield assessments can be carried out for complex terrain with the help of numerical fluid mechanics (CFD) . The physical basis and the numerical implementation are described by Gameiro Lopes and in the official software manual. As input data, WindStation requires terrain and roughness data in grid format as well as wind measurements and information on atmospheric stability. Nonlinear fluid dynamic equations including the Coriolis force are solved.

The implemented nesting process enables the user to drive the simulation with measurement or mesoscale data. The simulation area and the computational grid can be flexibly selected using functions such as alignment according to the direction of flow.

WindStation can be used to determine the energy yield in complex terrain and to evaluate the profitability of a wind farm . For this purpose, data or reanalysis data as well as terrain and roughness data recorded with a wind measuring mast are used. The software can also be used to record the flow conditions between buildings in cities. In addition, WindStation is suitable for analyzes in the areas of urban climate and dispersion calculations for air pollution control. The implemented batch processing enables the processing and execution of several projects at the same time. By simulating different flow simulations, wind climatologies can be created. In post-processing, visualizations are created and different file formats are exported.

WindStation was originally developed to predict the spread of forest fires.

The software can be used by manufacturers of wind turbines , project planners and operators of wind farms, as well as consulting firms . A free test version of the software including all functions and program modules can be requested online.

Functions

Functions of the WindStation software are:

  • Solution of the nonlinear Navier-Stokes equations
  • Solution of the conservation of energy equation
  • Four turbulence models for parameterizing the generation and dissipation of the turbulent kinetic energy
  • Calculation of climatologies
  • Simulation of the wind field for a roughly resolved simulation area in advance (nesting)
  • Various meteorological input data sets
  • Consideration of the atmospheric stratification (unstable, neutral, stable)
  • Forest model
  • Coriolis force
  • Import of buildings and other obstacles
  • Direction-dependent wind shear at the position of each wind turbine
  • Four models for simulating the wake effects and calculating wind farm losses
  • Calculation of the annual yield of a wind farm with and without lag effects
  • Different file formats for data export
  • Graphical user interface (GUI)

Numerical implementation

WindStation solves the equations for motion (Navier-Stokes), continuity, energy and turbulence using a control volume approach and a terrain-following calculation grid. The underlying method is based on the SIMPLEC algorithm, which is applied to a collocated grid. The pressure correction equation is solved using a multigrid method for faster convergence.

Validation and case studies

WindStation was validated with the help of wind measurements at real wind farm locations. The software has also been tested with various well-known case studies such as B. the Bolund experiment validated. The wind farm model of WindStation was tested and validated in

Operation and functionality

  • User-friendly desktop CFD with graphical implementation
  • Operation with offline stand-alone systems possible
  • All CPU cores are available at no additional cost

Graphical user interface (GUI)

WindStation has a graphical user interface consisting of a main menu for the graphical representation of the terrain and roughness data as well as the positions of the wind turbines and input climatologies. Details of the most important simulation parameters are summarized in fold-out windows. Menus for the numerical parameters, the atmospheric boundary conditions and the other input data can be operated via the software menu or icons.

Compatibility with other software

WindStation supports file formats that are compatible with WindPRO , WAsP and ArcGIS .

The following export formats exist: 

 *.tab, *.asc, *.txt, *.grd, *.xls,*.pow,*.out

The following import formats exist: 

 *.tab, *.asc, *.txt,*.xls,*.pow, *.trb,*.out

language

WindStation is available in English and German . Portuguese , Spanish and French are currently implemented.

System requirements

Further articles

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Antonio M. Gameiro Lopes: WindStation - A software for the simulation of atmospheric flows over complex topography . In: Environmental Modeling & Software . Vol.18, No. N.1, September, pp. 81-86.
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Antonio M. Gameiro Lopes: WindStation - Version 1.3.23 - User's manual . Ed .: Menzio GmbH. 2019.
  3. ↑ TR6 conform, bankable wind and energy yield assessments .
  4. ↑ a b c d e f WindStation CFD .
  5. ↑ AM Gameiro Lopes: Numerical Simulation of Turbulent Flow and Fire Propagation in Complex Terrain . In: Numerical Heat Transfer . Part A, No. 27, September, pp. 229-253.
  6. ↑ AM Gameiro Lopes, LM Ribeiro, DX Viegas: Application of Computer Models to the Prediction of Wildland Fire Behavior and Environmental Impact . In: 3rd Dubrovnik Conference on Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems ..
  7. ↑ AM Gameiro Lopes: FireStation - An Integrated Software System for the Numerical Simulation of Wind Field and Fire Spread on Complex Topography . In: Environmental Modeling & Software . 17, No. 3, September, pp. 269-285.
  8. ↑ G. Moore, RJ Paine, AM Gameiro Lopes: Practical Uses of the WindStation Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Model in Air Quality Dispersion Studies. . In: Air & Waste Management Association's Specialty Conference Guideline on Air Quality Models: The Path Forward ..
  9. ↑ JAV Alé, CP Oliveira, DE François, AM Gameiro Lopes: Wind Resource of Microregions in South and Northeast of Brazil: An Evaluation of Meteorological Data and Computational Tool . In: EWEA 2011 - Europe's Premier Wind Energy Event ..
  10. ↑ AM Gameiro Lopes, O. Herrera Sánchez, T. Sperling, R. Daus, R. Braun: Prediction of the wind field in moderate terrain using the Navier-Stokes solver WindStation . In: DEWEK 2017 13th German Wind Energy Conference: proceedings ..
  11. ↑ NG Lopes Duarte, AM Gameiro Lopes, O. Herrera Sanchez: Teste de modelos de simulação do campo de ventos para aplicações de avaliação do potencial eólico . Ed .: University of Coimbra. September 25, 2018 ( Online [PDF] Master Thesis).
  12. ^ AHS Nunes Vicente, AM Gameiro Lopes, O. Herrera Sanchez: Validation of wind turbine wake models . University of Coimbra September 25, 2018 ( Online - Master Thesis).