Effect of atmospheric stability on turbulence and wind turbine power in the Loess Plateau

doi:10.3785/j.issn.1008-973X.2026.06.022

Journal of ZheJiang University (Engineering Science)

2026, Vol. 60

Issue (6): 1350-1360 DOI: 10.3785/j.issn.1008-973X.2026.06.022

Effect of atmospheric stability on turbulence and wind turbine power in the Loess Plateau

Yulong MA1(

),Shoutu LI1,*(

),Ye LI1,2,Deshun LI1,Zhiteng GAO3,Liang GE4,Guowei WANG5,Qingdong MA1

1. College of Energy and Power Engineering, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou 730050, China
2. Depart of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
3. Institute of Energy Science, Shantou University, Shantou 515063, China
4. China Three Gorges Internation Corporation, Beijing 101111, China
5. Gansu Chongtong Chengfei New Materials Limited Company, Wuwei 733000, China

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Abstract

The influence of atmospheric stability on turbulence characteristic and wind turbine power generation in a complex-terrain wind farm on the Loess Plateau was analyzed based on data from a field experiment observation station. Results showed that stable and neutral conditions dominated atmospheric conditions during spring, with high turbulence intensity (TI) under different atmospheric stability condition and little difference between them, while local characteristic had a dramatic impact on turbulent energy. The power performance was optimal under neutral condition. The flow field under stable condition was more sensitive to the induction effect of terrain in the wind speed range greater than 7 m/s, resulting in a more dispersed distribution of turbulence intensity and more obvious nonlinear characteristic of the wind profile. The power output under stable condition is inferior to that under unstable condition. Results indicate that the impact of atmospheric stability has significant local difference.

Key words： wind energy the Loess Plateau field experiment atmospheric stability Monin–Obukhov similarity theory turbulence characteristic power output

Received: 11 September 2025 Published: 06 May 2026

CLC:

TK 81

Fund: 国家自然科学基金资助项目（12162022，52166014）；中央引导地方科技发展资金资助项目（25ZYJH001）；中国博士后科学基金资助项目（2024M750568）；甘肃省教育厅青年博士支持项目（2024QB-034）；甘肃省重点研发计划基金资助项目（25YFGA034，25YFGA035）；甘肃省教育厅产业支撑计划资助项目（2025CYZC-026）.

Corresponding Authors: Shoutu LI E-mail: ylma231206@163.com;lishoutu@lut.edu.cn

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	Yulong MA
	Shoutu LI
	Ye LI
	Deshun LI
	Zhiteng GAO
	Liang GE
	Guowei WANG
	Qingdong MA

Cite this article:

Yulong MA,Shoutu LI,Ye LI,Deshun LI,Zhiteng GAO,Liang GE,Guowei WANG,Qingdong MA. Effect of atmospheric stability on turbulence and wind turbine power in the Loess Plateau. Journal of ZheJiang University (Engineering Science), 2026, 60(6): 1350-1360.

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https://www.zjujournals.com/eng/10.3785/j.issn.1008-973X.2026.06.022 OR https://www.zjujournals.com/eng/Y2026/V60/I6/1350

黄土高原大气稳定性对湍流及风力机功率的影响

基于该区域风电场建立的外场实验观察站的测量数据，研究黄土高原山地风电场中大气稳定度对湍流特性及风力机输出功率的影响. 结果表明，该风电场区域春季大气稳定性以稳定和中性层结为主，平均湍流度(TI)在不同的大气稳定性下均较高且差异不大，局地特征对湍流能量的影响剧烈. 中性层结的风力机输出功率性能最佳，而当风速大于7 m/s时，稳定层结下流场对地形的诱导作用更加敏感，使得湍流度分布更分散，风廓线非线性特征更明显，稳定层结的风力机功率输出低于非稳定层结，说明大气稳定度的影响具有显著的局地差异性特征.

关键词： 风能, 黄土高原, 外场实验, 大气稳定性, MOST相似理论, 湍流特征, 功率输出

Tab.1 Basic parameter of wind turbine

Fig.1 Geographical location of field observation station and experimental plan

Fig.2 Schematic diagram of wind direction frequency distribution and relative position of lidar

Fig.3 Schematic diagram of wind direction frequency distribution and relative position of lidar

Fig.4 Statistical histogram of atmospheric stability at different height

Fig.5 Relationship between normalized wind speed standard deviation and atmospheric stability parameter at different height

Tab.2 Normalized standard deviation of wind speed component under neutral atmospheric stratification condition at different field observation stations

Fig.6 Probability distribution characteristic of turbulence intensity at different height

Fig.7 Intensity of turbulence variation with wind speed at different height

Fig.8 Scatter plot of turbulence intensity at different atmospheric stability

Fig.9 Relationship between atmospheric stability and dimensionless turbulent kinetic energy at different altitude

Fig.10 Power output characteristic under different atmospheric stability

Fig.11 Power distribution and wind shear characteristic under different atmospheric stability


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