Aerodynamic Load Modelling for Leading Edge Inflatable Kites

The purpose of this study has been to develop an aerodynamic load model for the energy harvesting (traction) phase of leading-edge inflatable (LEI) kites operating in an airborne wind energy (AWE) context. The load model stems from multivariate polynomial regression analyses expressing the airfoil lift, drag and moment coefficients as polynomial...

Stability of four-body kite central configurations

Central configurations provide the only closed-form analytical solutions of the n-body problem. All possible central configurations of three bodies have been extensively studied along with the stability of the associated periodic orbits. Stable cases have been found for the Lagrangian triangle configuration, which we see occurring with the...

Kite power in a microgrid: Design and sizing of distributed energy resources for a microgrid solution based on kite power

Airborne Wind Energy is a promising technology that is becoming the point of interest for many applications. One market in which the AWE systems can open a path as a renewable distributed generator is in offgrid communities or camps. Nowadays, this market is dominated by fossil fuel energy like diesel generators. Even though the diesel is cheap,...

Path Optimization of a Pumping Kite System

Airborne wind energy is a new research field that aims to harvest winds at high altitudes. The pumping kite concept investigated at the Delft University of Technology is based on leading edge inflatable kites that divide a generation cycle into three phases: traction, retraction, and transition. This research project aims to optimise the...

Methodology Improvement for Performance Assessment of Pumping Kite Power Wing

Pumping kite power systems are a promising way of harnessing clean energy from high-altitude winds. A large kite flies crosswind developing a strong pulling force through a tether which is connected at the ground to an electrical generator. The power output of such innovative systems is directly related to the wing aerodynamic properties which...