Bioinspired turbine blades offer new perspectives for wind energy
Article dans une revue avec comité de lecture
Date
2017Journal
Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering SciencesAbstract
Wind energy is becoming a significant alternative solution for future energy production. Modern turbines now benefit from engineering expertise, and a large variety of different models exists, depending on the context and needs. However, classical wind turbines are designed to operate within a narrow zone centred around their optimal working point. This limitation prevents the use of sites with variable wind to harvest energy, involving significant energetic and economic losses. Here, we present a new type of bioinspired wind turbine using elastic blades, which passively deform through the air loading and centrifugal effects. This work is inspired from recent studies on insect flight and plant reconfiguration, which show the ability of elastic wings or leaves to adapt to the wind conditions and thereby to optimize performance. We show that in the context of energy production, the reconfiguration of the elastic blades significantly extends the range of operating regimes using only passive, non-consuming mechanisms. The versatility of the new turbine model leads to a large increase of the converted energy rate, up to 35%. The fluid/elasticity mechanisms involved for the reconfiguration capability of the new blades are analysed in detail, using experimental observations and modelling.
Files in this item
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
Article dans une revue avec comité de lectureMASSOUH, Fawaz; DOBREV, Ivan (2014)This paper is dedicated to the investigation and analysis of wind turbine wake. An experimental work is undertaken in wind tunnel on a horizontal axis wind turbine model. The velocity field in the wake is measured using ...
-
Communication avec acteDOBREV, Ivan; MASSOUH, Fawaz (BULTRANS -2014 Proceedings, 2014)The paper presents a study of aerodynamic characteristics of a car, which has the simplified geometric shape, so called Ahmed body. Flow around the body and the influence of its rear slant angle on drag are widely studied ...
-
Communication avec acteVELKOVA, Cvetelina; DOBREV, Ivan; TODOROV, Michael; MASSOUH, Fawaz (BulTrans-2012, 2012)The aim of the computational study is to present different approach for numerical modeling of airfoil dynamic stall as the airfoil is pitched at a constant rate from zero incidences to a high angle of attack. An application ...
-
Communication avec acteAMER, Rodeyna; DOBREV, Ivan; MASSOUH, Fawaz (2014)The growth in size of wind turbines over the last years is significant. The rotor diameter becomes somehow comparable to atmospheric boundary layer at the land surface. In this case the assumption of uniform velocity of ...
-
Article dans une revue avec comité de lectureDOBREV, Ivan; MASSOUH, Fawaz; MEMON, Asif (InderScience, 2013)An improved model of an actuator surface is proposed, representing the flow around a wind turbine. This model was developed in conjunction with a Navier-Stokes solver using a blade element method for the calculation of ...