Spatially distributed Wind and Turbulence Measurements with a Fleet of Unmanned Aerial Systems

Kurzfassung

This thesis deals with the development of a unique measuring device for wind field measurement in the atmospheric boundary layer and its application to examine spatial turbulence structures in heterogeneous terrain as well as flow measurements around a wind turbine. The innovative measuring system consists of a fleet of 35 quadrotors UAS (unmanned aerial systems), of which a maximum of 20 were used simultaneously. This measuring system enables flexible, simultaneous, spatially distributed measurements of the wind vector in the boundary layer. An algorithm was developed to measure the wind that is based on the position and acceleration sensors of the UAS and does not require additional external wind sensors. The algorithm puts the sensor data in relation to the acting wind forces and is calibrated and validated with the help of reference measurements on a 99-m meteorological mast. The potential of the UAS fleet for wind field and turbulence measurements is shown by comparisons with Doppler wind lidar and ultrasonic anemometer measurement data.