Mean and turbulent flow development through an array of rotating elements

The adjustment of an incoming boundary layer profile as it impacts and interacts with an array of elements has received significant attention in the context of terrestrial and aquatic canopies and more recently in the context of horizontal axis wind farms. The distance required for the mean flow profile to stabilize, the energy transport through the array, and the structure of the turbulence within the array are directly dependent upon such factors as the element height, density, rigidity/flexibility, frontal area distribution, element homogeneity, and underlying topography. In the present study, the mean and turbulent development of the flow through an array of rotating elements was examined experimentally. Element rotation has been shown to drastically alter wake dynamics of single and paired elements, but the possible extension of such rotation-driven dynamics had not previously been examined on larger groups of elements. Practically, such an array of rotating elements may provide insight into the flow dynamics of an array of vertical axis wind turbines. 2D particle image velocimetry was used along the length of the array in order to examine the effects of an increasing ratio of cylinder rotation speed to streamwise freestream velocity on flow development and structure.