Autonomous landing, storage and re-launching of a kite power system

The aim of this executive overview is to summarise the content of this extensive report regarding the design of an Landing, Launching and Storage (LLS) system for a soft kite Airborne Wind Energy (AWE) system.<br/>An innovative idea does not translate automatically to financial gain. With new technologies, such as AWEs it is crucial to assess...

In-flight measurement of kite deformations with inertial sensors

The control and design of kites for airborne wind energy requires an extensive understanding of kite dynamics. While these have been thoroughly analyzed with fluid-structure interaction models, very little experimental data exists to validate them. Specifically, most experiments on kites so far have not obtained local measurements that can be...

Numerical analysis of the flow past a leading edge inflatable kite wing using a correlation-based transition model

Thorough understanding of flexible wing structural and aerodynamic properties is crucial to reduce uncertainties in the design process of energy generating kite systems. A flexible leading edge inflatable (LEI) tethered kite connected to a drum-generator module is currently being developed by the Airborne Wind Energy research group at TU Delft...

The effect of kite control unit mass and drag on the flight behavior of an airborne wind energy system kite

Airborne wind energy (AWE) is an emerging field that aims to revolutionize the wind energy sector.This work focuses on the aspects of modeling AWE kite flight behavior. Research on such modelsis important since new or improved models can potentially reduce development time and costs andprovide insight in the role of key system parameters.This...

Towards the CSM-CFD modelling of membrane wings at high Reynolds numbers

The field of Airborne Wind Energy is concerned with harvesting high-altitude wind power; the corresponding group in Delft, in particular, is investigating the suitability of a kite for this purpose. Due to the high complexity that such a system ensues, it is of interest to have a fundamental understanding of the critical aero-elastic modes of...

Niche strategy selection for kite-based Airborne Wind Energy technologies

Through the analysis of historic cases high-tech innovations, a selection process has been devised to accelerate sustainable innovations to large-scale adoption. The niche strategy selection process has been applied to, and validated with, the case of kite-based Airborne Wind Energy, resulting in an overview of its barriers and guidance to...

Theoretical Analysis of Mechanical Power Generation by Pumping Cycle Kite Power Systems

A tethered wing can be used in two different ways, to lift payload or to provide traction power. The latter is the basis of several innovative technical applications, such as kite-assisted ship propulsion and pumping-kite wind energy conversion. This thesis presents a theoretical analysis of traction power generation by a tethered wing. The...

Automatic trajectory tracking control of kites

In this thesis we present a novel solution to the kite trajectory tracking problem using an explicit control law. Compared to alternative approaches, such as model predictive control, our approach has three major advantages: a stability proof, ease of implementation, and minimal modeling requirements. The latter is especially important for...