The fatigue loading effects of yaw control for wind plants

We study the fatigue loading experienced by wind turbines using yaw control to redirect wakes. First, through aeroelastic simulations, the fatigue loads of a turbine equipped with a baseline and individual pitch controller are analyzed for a turbine operating with a constant yaw misalignment. Second, a two-turbine wind plant using yaw control to redirect wakes is optimized for energy capture with different wind inflow angles. That control law is then used with a distribution of wind directions to determine how often and at what angle an upstream turbine would operate with a constant yaw misalignment. Finally, the fatigue data from the initial simulations are extrapolated to determine the aggregate fatigue damage increase on an upstream wind turbine controlled for optimal plant power production.