Use of acoustic sodar to detect wakes from wind turbines

Existing acoustic sodar equipment (ScinTec MFAS) used for the determination of the proper hub height of wind turbines at a landfill provided the opportunity to detect wake flow downwind of the constructed turbines. The decision to observe the wake flow was based on the opportunity to collect two different data sets, one prior to the installation and operation of the turbines, and one after the turbines began to generate power. The sodar is located about 750 meters downwind and southeast of two, and soon to be four, 2.5 MW wind turbines with 80 meter hub heights. The hypothesis is that it would be possible to detect the wake field in the turbulence statistics obtained by the sodar, and that this signature could then be removed from measurements where the influence would otherwise complicate the data interpretation for other studies. This poster will present our preliminary findings.