Atmospheric Radar Research Center

Members of the ARRC Wind Turbine Team recently made a trip up to Dodge City, KS to collect new wind farm data from the WSR-88D NEXRAD located there. This and data taken simultaneously from a mobile SMART-R will be used to further characterize WTC. See pictures of this trip here.

• The wind turbines keep a nearly constant rate of rotation because they are generating AC power. Farms that generate DC power can operate at variable rates of rotation. Consider this for testing an algorithm with both AC and DC wind farms.
• Along the edge of the blades runs a thick copper cable for a lightning arrest system. This copper cable may account for some of the back-scatter power.
• Along with data collected from KDDC, time series data were collected using one SMART-Radar at 3 different locations surrounding an isolated target wind turbine. No data were collected at location #1.
• Data from SMART-Radar collected primarily using a PRF of 2550 Hz, however, at Location #3 (X Rd. btw 17 and K-23) two experiments were performed using PRFs of 2550 Hz and 1500 Hz. This difference in PRF may be useful in determining the impact of varying PRFs on the power spectra of the rotating blades.
• Data from SMART-Radar collected using PPP and FFT modes averaging 128 pulses. 360-degree PPI scans at a 1.0 degree elevation angle were collected over the wind farm during a time of calm winds and no blade rotation.

The wind farm located to the southwest of KDDC is owned by Florida Power and Light.

Location 2 - X Road between Roads 16 and 17
Location 3 - X Road between Road 17 and K-23
Location 4 - K-23 south of X Road