Use case: Detecting and Correcting Yaw Misalignment

Turbine model: Vestas V90-3.0 MW

Yaw misalignment is a frequent issue in operating wind turbines, significantly affecting performance. When turbines do not face the wind correctly, they cannot harness its full energy potential.

Detecting yaw misalignment has long been a major challenge in wind turbine operational analysis. Since the turbine’s anemometer is positioned behind the rotor, it is heavily influenced by the rotor’s wake, making it nearly impossible to determine the true wind direction.

Our in-house processing technology is able to compensate the impact of the rotor’s wake in order to have a comparable wind speed measurement for the different relative wind directions. The method was applied on multiple operational wind farms to detect the presence of yaw misalignments. In this article, we illustrate a case where a yaw misalignment was detected and afterwards confirmed and corrected by the OEM.

The initial results (Fig. 1) showed the presence of a yaw misalignment (of at least 6°) from a significant difference between the best performing and most frequent relative wind direction. Once these results were transmitted to the OEM, a wind sensor alignment check was performed on-site that confirmed and corrected the issue. After the corrective action, the turbine’s static alignment is nearly perfected and as remained so ever since.

Fig. 1 - Yaw misalignment results before the corrective action. A significant difference between the best performing and most frequent relative wind direction is visible: a yaw misalignment was present on this wind turbine.

Fig. 2 - Yaw misalignment results after the corrective action. Once the issue was corrected, only a residual difference between the best performing and most frequent relative wind direction is visible: no yaw misalignment currently on this wind turbine.

In this case, correcting the yaw misalignment led to an AEP increase of 1.1% to 1.5%.

Multiple studies indicate that 20% to 30% of operating wind turbines have a yaw misalignment of at least 5°, emphasising the need for precise and reliable diagnosis and monitoring.

However, standard methods often lack the necessary accuracy and precision: our solution effectively addresses these limitations, providing a highly accurate and scalable approach to detecting yaw misalignments.

Want to learn more about our Yaw Misalignment diagnosis? Feel free to Contact Us for a demo of our solutions and see how your wind farms could benefit from them.