Computational Fluid Dynamics for Wind Turbine Placements in Complex Terrain

Deeshith Prem Jain, Dr. Xuan Wu

Abstract: Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has become an essential tool for wind turbine placement in complex terrain, where terrain-induced speed-up, flow separation, recirculation, turbulence, and vertical shear cannot be reliably captured by simple linear extrapolation methods. This article presents a CFD-based methodology for wind resource assessment using digital terrain and roughness data, Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) simulations, and standard k-epsilon turbulence closure to model three-dimensional wind fields across candidate wind farm sites. The simulated flow fields are scaled against local wind climates derived from on-site measurements or reanalysis datasets to produce hub-height wind resource maps, turbine-specific wind speed distributions, and inputs for Annual Energy Production (AEP) estimation. A representative complex-terrain user case demonstrates how CFD improves turbine micro-siting by identifying attached-flow corridors, high-resource zones, and recirculation-prone areas that may increase turbulence and structural loading. The article also explains the role of CFD across the wind resource assessment lifecycle, from pre-feasibility screening and measurement campaign design to wind flow modeling, energy prognosis, structural suitability, and repowering studies. The study emphasizes that CFD adds value not only by estimating wind speed, but by improving the quality and confidence of turbine placement decisions in terrain where flow behavior is strongly non-linear.

Keywords: Wind Resource Assessment, CFD flow modeling, Wind turbine optimization, Recirculation zones, Structural suitability

How to Cite?: Deeshith Prem Jain, Dr. Xuan Wu, "Computational Fluid Dynamics for Wind Turbine Placements in Complex Terrain", Volume 15 Issue 6, June 2026, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), Pages: 1299-1304, https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=SR26624154227, DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21275/SR26624154227

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