Aerodynamic Perspectives on Wind Energy Efficiency

This thesis investigates the efficiency of wind energy conversion from three aerodynamic perspectives. The first, purely theoretical, assumes steady inviscid flow conditions to identify multi-rotor setups that can extract more power per unit area than isolated rotors. The second, more practical perspective, assesses the extent to which site...

Ram-air kite airfoil and reinforcements optimization for airborne wind energy applications

We present a multidisciplinary design optimization method for the profile and structural reinforcement layout of a ram‐air kite rib. The aim is to minimize the structural elastic energy and to maximize the traction power of a ram‐air kite used for airborne wind energy generation. Because of the large deformations occurring during flight, a fluid...

Characterization of aerodynamic performance of ducted wind turbines: A numerical study

The complex aerodynamic interactions between the rotor and the duct has to be accounted for the design of ducted wind turbines (DWTs). A numerical study to investigate the characteristics of flow around the DWT using a simplified duct–actuator disc (AD) model is carried out. Inviscid and viscous flow calculations are performed to understand...

Improved airfoil polar predictions with data-driven boundary-layer closure relations

The accuracy of airfoil polar predictions is limited by the usage of imperfect turbulence models. Can machine-learning improve this situation? Will airfoil polars teach the effect of turbulence on skin-friction? We try to answer these questions by refining turbulence treatment in the Rfoil code: boundary layer closure relations are learned...

Towards improving the aerodynamic performance of a ducted wind turbine: A numerical study

This paper aims to study the aerodynamic performance of ducted wind turbines (DWT) using inviscid and viscous flow calculations by accounting for the mutual interaction between the duct and the rotor. Two generalized duct cross section geometries are considered while the rotor is modelled as an actuator disc with constant thrust coefficient....

Probabilistic Design of Airfoils for Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines

We describe a probabilistic approach to design airfoils for wind energy applications. An analytical expression is derived for the probability of perturbations to the operational blade-section angle of attack. It includes the combined influence of wind shear, yaw-misalignment, and turbulence intensity. The theoretical fluctuations in angle of...

Integral Equations for Boundary Layers with Streamwise Vortices

We explore integral boundary layer approximations for shear layer flows with vortex generators. The flow field is decomposed to highlight two phenomena: shear over the wall and vortex-driven mixing of the shear layer. The Navier-Stokes Equations are normalized to identify a new adimensional parameter: the vortex strength number (Vg). Usual...

Passive and active flow augmentation: From diffusers to multi-rotor machines

Flow augmentation consists in modifying mass flow across the actuation plane of a rotor to enhance energy extraction or propulsive efficiency. The talk sketches the distinction between passive and active rotor augmentation strategies. Power coefficient trends are compared analytically while numerical results illustrate differences in flow...

Ducted wind turbine optimization: A numerical approach

The practice of ducting wind turbines has shown a beneficial effect on the overall performance, when compared to an open turbine of the same rotor diameter1. However, an optimization study specifically for ducted wind turbines (DWT’s) is missing or incomplete. This work focuses on a numerical optimization of the duct orientation and the ideal...

A Fast Panel Code for Complex Actuator Disk Flows

A fast, linear scaling vortex method is presented to study inviscid incompressible flow problems involving one or more actuator disks. Building upon previous efforts that were limited to axi-symmetric flow cases, the proposed methodology is able to handle arbitrary configurations with no symmetry constraints. Applications include the conceptual...

Gazing at clouds to understand turbulence on wind turbine airfoils

There are many ways to learn from data. Our first experiment consisted in reproducing the way aerodynamicists work [2] with a genetic optimizer. The data pool was too narrow and asymptotic tendencies were unreliable. Our 2nd Experiment, a simple version of [4], had a virtually unlimited data pool and used neural networks. Results were better,...

How does the presence of a body affect the performance of an actuator disk?

The article seeks to unify the treatment of conservative force interactions between axi-symmetric bodies and actuators in inviscid ow. Applications include the study of hub interference, di_user augmented wind turbines and boundary layer ingestion propeller con_gurations. The conservation equations are integrated over in_nitesimal streamtubes to...

Multiple Wake Vortex Lattice Method for Airborne Wind Energy Membrane-Wing Kites (poster)