Wind turbine clutter mitigation in coastal UHF radar

Area of Science:

• Electromagnetics and Radar Systems
• Oceanography and Remote Sensing

Background:

• Coastal Ultra High Frequency (UHF) radar offers unique capabilities for monitoring sea surface dynamics and detecting small targets.
• UHF radar complements High Frequency (HF) surface wave radar by covering close-range blind zones and extends detection range beyond microwave radars.
• Wind turbines, common near coasts, generate significant clutter that degrades UHF radar performance due to their large radar cross-section and blade rotation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a method for mitigating wind turbine clutter in coastal UHF radar systems.
• To enhance the operational effectiveness of UHF radar for sea surface monitoring in environments with wind turbines.

Main Methods:

• A novel mitigation method is proposed, leveraging the specific periodicity of wind turbine clutter.
• The technique is primarily implemented in the time-frequency domain for effective clutter suppression.
• Field experimental data from a new UHF radar system were used for verification.

Main Results:

• The proposed method effectively suppresses the time-varying Doppler frequency introduced by rotating wind turbine blades.
• Experimental results demonstrate the significant reduction of wind turbine clutter.
• The effectiveness of the mitigation technique was validated using real-world data.

Conclusions:

• The developed time-frequency domain method successfully mitigates wind turbine interference in coastal UHF radar.
• This approach enhances the reliability and accuracy of sea surface parameter measurements and target detection.
• The method offers a practical solution for improving UHF radar performance in coastal areas with wind energy installations.