VGs are said to improve wind turbine performance by inducing a turbulent flow atop the blade such that the flow separates from the blade further down the profile resulting in additional energy extraction from the same wind resource.
In order to assess the validity of after-market Vortex Generators (VGs) and their advertised performance gains, Eurus Energy America has undertaken an independent test of this technology.
VGs supplied from two different manufacturers were installed on a total of twelve turbines at an existing wind farm. The performance change before/after installation were measured. The study also looked at changes in downwind rows to assess effects due to VGs installed upwind.
This presentation presents the setup, testing method, and results from these VG trials, as well as extrapolating the results to other sites.