ZephIR DM Procedure:

How to Measure Wind

Yaw Misalignment

February 2017

Author: John Medley, Senior Data Analyst

Document history
Author John Medley 23 February 2017
Checked Chris Slinger 23 February 2017
Approved Mike Harris 23 February 2017

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1.0 23 February 2017 Initial release

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 Contents
1. Introduction ....................................................................................... 1
2. Measurement set up ......................................................................... 2
2.1. Orientation................................................................................ 2
2.2. Factors affecting the measurement configuration .................... 2
2.3. Recommended configuration ................................................... 3
3. Data files ........................................................................................... 4
3.1. ZephIR data files ...................................................................... 4
3.2. Turbine SCADA data................................................................ 4
4. Data collection and analysis .............................................................. 5
5. References ........................................................................................ 6
A. Case study 7

ZephIR DM Procedure: How to Measure Wind Yaw Misalignment February 2017

1. Introduction
For maximum efficiency of energy production a wind turbine generator (WTG) must be correctly yawed into the
wind. Any misalignment of the yaw of the WTG and the direction of the incoming wind, referred to here as wind
yaw misalignment (WYM), will compromise the conversion efficiency of the wind turbine and reduce the overall
energy production. Typically, a WYM of 5° will lead to a 1% loss in annual energy production (AEP) for that WTG,
while a WYM of 8° will lead to a 3% loss in AEP.

This document details the procedure for measuring WYM using a ZephIR DM wind lidar mounted on the nacelle of
a WTG. It covers configuration of the lidar and analysis of the measurement data. Detailed instructions for the
installation of the lidar on the nacelle of the WTG can be found in a separate procedure [1].

If a significant WYM is identified, it is recommended that the operator engages with the maintenance team
responsible for the WTG and/or the manufacturer of the WTG to correct the control system to eliminate the WYM.
Due to the nature of the measurement, this may be an iterative process of measurement, correction, measurement
and correction.

ZephIR DM Procedure: How to Measure Wind Yaw Misalignment February 2017 1

2. Measurement set up
2.1. Orientation
The ZephIR DM will be mounted on the nacelle of the WTG a few metres behind the rotor and facing forward,
towards the rotor and the incoming wind. It will be aligned as nearly as possible to be parallel to the axis of the
WTG, perpendicular to the plane of the rotor. For a WTG that is operating correctly, the direction of the incoming
wind will be aligned with the axis of the WTG, perpendicular to the rotor plane.

The wind yaw misalignment is defined as the angle between the incoming wind direction and the axis of the WTG.
From the perspective of the lidar, looking forward into the wind, a positive WYM is defined as a wind direction from
the right of the WTG’s axis (see Figure 2.1 and Figure 2.2, below). For the WTG to operate at maximum efficiency
the WYM should be zero.

Figure 2.1: View from above: positive WYM Figure 2.2: View from above: negative WYM

2.2. Factors affecting the measurement configuration

The ZephIR DM can be set to measure at up to 10 ranges in front of the turbine rotor. Factors that influence the
choice of measurement ranges include:
 Measurement quality control: a range of 10 m should always be set to detect adverse weather conditions
that would prevent accurate measurement. Note that the wind flow at this range is heavily influenced by the
rotation of the rotor blades and meaningful measurement of wind yaw misalignment is not possible;
 Mounting distance behind the rotor: the distance (x) between the window of the ZephIR DM and the rotor of
the WTG should be taken into account when choosing the ranges at which the lidar is set to measure;
 Rotor size: the “induction zone” of the turbine, the volume ahead of the WTG in which the flow of the wind is
affected by the blockage of the WTG, is a function of the diameter (D) of the rotor. The closer to the rotor, the
bigger the effect and the more the wind slows down. A measurement range of a minimum of 2.5 D in front of
the rotor is required to ensure that induction zone effects are negligible;
 Terrain: In simple terrain, the most accurate measurement of free wind speed and direction is made by
measuring outside of the induction zone of the WTG, i.e. at least 2.5 D in front of the rotor. In complex terrain,
the wind flow can evolve significantly within the induction zone due to terrain effects and a measurement range
much closer to the rotor may give a more useful measurement of both wind speed and WYM.

ZephIR DM Procedure: How to Measure Wind Yaw Misalignment February 2017 2

2.3. Recommended configuration
The optimum measurement range is a compromise between minimising uncertainties due to the WTG blockage
effect by measuring outside of the induction zone and minimising uncertainties due to terrain effects by measuring
closer in. As induction zone effects are more repeatable between turbines, a closer measurement range is
preferred for WYM assessment.
The ZephIR DM is configured using the Waltz software provided with the lidar. The latest version of Waltz can be
downloaded from client support at www.zephirlidar.com/login. The recommended configuration is detailed in Table
2.1, below. See Appendix A for a case study using Waltz to set up a ZephIR DM for a particular turbine.

Table 2.1: Recommended ZephIR DM settings for WYM measurement

Parameter Waltz configuration tab Value(s) Notes

Hub height
Turbine hub height (m) Site Measured from the base of the turbine
(H)
h is height of ZephIR DM above the
ZephIR height (m) Site H+h
centre line of turbine hub
Rotor diameter (m) Site D
10 For quality control only

0.5 D + x x is distance of ZephIR DM window

0.5 D + x behind rotor plane.
0.5 D + x
Measurement 0.5 D + x Measurement ranges are repeated to
Site increase dwell time compared to the
ranges (m) 0.5 D + x
0.5 D + x 10 m quality-control range.

2.5 D + x Measurements outside of the induction

2.5 D + x zone can be used for advanced quality
2.5 D + x control and power curve assessment
Revs per range Site 5
Milliseconds to average
Turbine-Mounted ZephIR 3000
over (ms)
Milliseconds between
Turbine-Mounted ZephIR 1000
reports (ms)
Used to provide rotor equivalent wind
Number of slices Turbine-Mounted ZephIR 5 speeds for more reliable power curves,
but not critical for WYM measurement

ZephIR DM Procedure: How to Measure Wind Yaw Misalignment February 2017 3

3. Data files
3.1. ZephIR data files
The data analysis described in this procedure uses measurements averaged over 10 minutes. These are stored in
data files starting “Wind10_” and ending with the “.ZPH” extension. In order to analyse this data these files must be
converted to CSV format using the Waltz software or the ZPH2CSV command-line tool.
Data files produced by the ZephIR contain a great deal of information. The ZephIR data columns recommended
for use specifically for analysis of WYM are listed in Table 3.1, below.

Table 3.1: Recommended ZephIR data columns for analysis

Parameter Header Notes

Timestamp is start of 10 minute averaging
Time and Date Time and Date
period. Default time zone is UTC.
Wind Yaw Misalignment FD Wind Yaw Misalignment (deg) R is measurement range
(WYM) at Rm (Recommended R = 0.5 D + x)
Mean Fit Residual FD Mean Fit Residual (m/s)
R is measurement range
(MFR) at Rm
Horizontal Wind Speed FD Horizontal Wind Speed (m/s)
R is measurement range
(HWS) at Scan Centre at Rm

3.2. Turbine SCADA data

The turbine data required from the turbine SCADA files for the analysis are listed in Table 3.2, below. The exact
header used in the file will depend on the SCADA system.

Table 3.2: Recommended SCADA data for analysis

Parameter Notes
Check time zone and timestamp convention.
Time and Date
Timestamp is often end of 10 minute averaging period.
Active Power Used to filter out periods for which the turbine is not active, i.e. when Power < 5 kW
Turbine Operational Flag Used to filter out periods for which the turbine is not operational
Compare time series to wind speed measured by ZephIR to check synchronisation
Nacelle wind speed
of data series

ZephIR DM Procedure: How to Measure Wind Yaw Misalignment February 2017 4

4. Data collection and analysis
The procedure for data collection and analysis is detailed below.

1. Download “Wind10_” ZPH data files from the ZephIR DM and SCADA data from the turbine’s SCADA system.
2. Convert ZPH files to CSV using Waltz or ZPH2CSV software.
3. Synchronise ZephIR and SCADA data, correcting for any difference in time zone and timestamp
– Check by comparing time series of wind speeds measured by nacelle anemometer and ZephIR.
4. Filter out data if any of the following are true:
– Turbine is not operational;
– Active power < 5 kW;
– ZephIR WYM > 9000 (i.e. is error code);
– Normalised Mean Fit Residual (MFR / HWS) > 0.04.
5. Using ZephIR data collected to date (after filtering as above), calculate running estimates of:
– Number of valid measurements (N);
– Mean WYM at the required measurement range (μ);
– Standard deviation about the mean WYM (σ);
– Standard error in the mean WYM (σ / √N).
6. Continue collecting data until the standard error in the mean WYM is reduced below 0.2°.
7. Apply a correction to the turbine control system indicated by the mean WYM measured by the ZephIR DM.
8. Repeat steps 1-7 until the mean WYM is at the required level.

NB: If the power supply to the ZephIR DM is interrupted, measurement data can be split across more than one file.
If gaps are seen in the ZephIR data record, missing measurement files can be downloaded from the ZephIR
DM using the Waltz software.

ZephIR DM Procedure: How to Measure Wind Yaw Misalignment February 2017 5

5. References
[1] C Slinger, ZephIR DM turbine installation guide. Relevant to the deployment on a nacelle roof.,
ZephIR Report, Version 1.9, May 2015, available from zephirhelpdesk@zephirlidar.com.
.

ZephIR DM Procedure: How to Measure Wind Yaw Misalignment February 2017 6

A. Case study
This appendix contains a fictionalised case study based on real measurement data from a turbine-mounted
ZephIR DM. The turbine had a nominal power of 2.0 MW, a hub height (H) of 90 m and a rotor diameter (D) of
100 m. The ZephIR was mounted on the nacelle at a height (h) of 3 m above the centre of the hub and a distance
(x) of 5 m behind the blades. Screenshots from the Waltz software showing the recommended settings for this
deployment are shown in Figure A.1 and Figure A.2.
The turbine was fully operational in steady, but not always strong, winds during the measurement period.
The analysis below is based on measurements at a range of 0.5 D = 55 m.

Figure 5.1: Waltz “Configuration” screen, “Site” tab, showing recommended settings

ZephIR DM Procedure: How to Measure Wind Yaw Misalignment February 2017 7

Figure 5.2: Waltz “Configuration” screen, “Turbine-Mounted ZephIR” tab, showing recommended settings

ZephIR DM Procedure: How to Measure Wind Yaw Misalignment February 2017 8

Phase 1: Establish WYM to acceptable accuracy
Steps 1-6 of the measurement procedure detailed in Section 4 were followed and the running mean of the
measured WYM and of the standard error in that running mean WYM were calculated. Their values for the first 7
days of the campaign are plotted in Figure 5.3.

Figure 5.3: Mean and standard error of measured wind yaw misalignment before correction

This plot shows that the target of 0.2° for the standard error in the mean WYM was reached within 4 days of
measurement. This period would have been longer had the turbine not been operational for 100% of the time. The
running mean WYM after 4 days had converged to a value of about +7°.

ZephIR DM Procedure: How to Measure Wind Yaw Misalignment February 2017 9

Phase 2: Correcting the WYM
This positive value of WYM corresponds to wind approaching from the right of the turbine, as shown in Figure 5.4.
For a positive WYM to exist, the zero-point of the wind vane used to control the turbine’s yaw must be misaligned
with the turbine and aligned with the average incoming wind direction, as shown by the yellow arrow in Figure 5.4.

Zero-point of control system’s

wind vane aligned with
average WYM, not with
turbine

Figure 5.4: View from above: positive WYM

To correct for a positive WYM, either:

 the control system’s wind vane should be rotated anti-clockwise, ↺, when viewed from above, by an
angle equal to the measured WYM; or,
 an offset should be applied to the zero-point of the wind vane in the control system.
If the control system uses the average of two wind vane measurements then both instruments should be corrected
in the same way.
Replacement of the wind vane should not be necessary and would require the assessment of the WYM to be
restarted.

ZephIR DM Procedure: How to Measure Wind Yaw Misalignment February 2017 10

Phase 3: Measuring the new WYM
In the current case study, the orientation of the wind vane was adjusted, by rotating it by approximately 7° anti-
clockwise, on day 7 of the deployment and the WYM was re-measured. The running mean of the measured WYM
after the correction and of the standard error in that running mean WYM are plotted in Figure 5.5. The running
standard error in the mean is reduced to below the target 0.2° by day 11 of the deployment, at which time the
mean measured WYM was below 1.2°. This was below the target maximum allowable WYM for the deployment
and no further correction was applied.

Figure 5.5: Mean and standard error of measured wind yaw misalignment after correction

ZephIR DM Procedure: How to Measure Wind Yaw Misalignment February 2017 11

 About Us
In 2003 we released the first commercial wind lidar, ZephIR®, pooling decades of fibre laser research from the science, security and energy
industries. Designed specifically for the wind industry ZephIR has paved the way for many of the remote sensing devices seen in the market today.
Our original lidar technology continues to innovate with world firsts such as taking measurements from a wind turbine spinner and being the first to
deploy an offshore wind lidar, both fixed and floating. ZephIR has also now amassed more than 7 million hours of operation across 750+
deployments globally spanning a decade of commercial experience. Some of our proudest achievements are listed below; these are the earliest
reported examples that we are aware of from open publications.

2003 - The first wind lidar to make upwind measurements from a turbine nacelle
2004 - The first and original commercially available lidar for the wind industry
2004 - The first wind lidar to investigate the behaviour of turbine wakes
2005 - The first wind lidar to be deployed offshore on a fixed platform
2007 - The first wind lidar to take measurements from a turbine spinner
2008 - The first wind lidar to be signed off against an industry-accepted validation process
2009 - The first wind lidar to be deployed offshore on a floating platform (SeaZephIR)
2010 - The first wind lidar to re-finance and re-power a wind farm
2011 - The first wind lidar to be proven in a wind tunnel
2012 - The first wind lidar to be used with very short masts and secure project financing
2012 - The first wind lidar to be accredited for use with no or limited on-site anemometry for project financing by DNV GL
2013 - The first wind lidar to provide true dual-mode functionality in one platform (ZephIR DM)
2014 - The first wind lidar to be subjected to more than 170 performance verifications against an IEC compliant test site
2015 - The first wind lidar to be deployed in dual configuration as standard on floating offshore platforms

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