Optimal Crosswind Towing and Power Generation with Tethered Kites

Williams, Paul; Lansdorp, Bas; Ockels, Wubbo

doi:10.2514/1.30089

Cited by 164 publications

(74 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Both the longitudinal [9] and lateral [10] been also considered, as well as the bridle configuration [11] and the main-line design [12]. Recent works have included flexibility effects [13] and different control schemes [14][15][16].…”

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confidence: 99%

Flight Dynamics and Stability of Kites in Steady and Unsteady Wind Conditions

Losantos

Sánchez‐Arriaga

2015

Journal of Aircraft

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tThe flight dynamics and stability of a kite with a single main line flying in steady and unsteady wind conditions are discussed. A simple dynamic model with five degrees of freedom is derived with the aid of Lagrangian formulation, which explicitly avoids any constraint force in the equations of motion. The longitudinal and lateral-directional modes and stability of the steady flight under constant wind conditions are analyzed by using both numerical and analytical methods. Taking advantage of the appearance of small dimensionless parameters in the model, useful analytical formulas for stable-designed kites are found. Under nonsteady wind-velocity conditions, the equilibrium state disappears and periodic orbits occur. The kite stability and an interesting resonance phenomenon are explored with the aid of a numerical method based on Floquet theory.

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confidence: 99%

Flight Dynamics and Stability of Kites in Steady and Unsteady Wind Conditions

Losantos

Sánchez‐Arriaga

2015

Journal of Aircraft

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“…They studied two major configurations, the kite is used to tow a ground vehicle in the crosswind direction and the kite is flown to generate power using a ground generator. According to the authors, the numerical results illustrate that optimal power generation is most sensitive to the cycle time, tether length, and wind speed [67].…”

Section: Fagiano Lorenzo Is a Professor And Researcher At Politecnicmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparing Patent and Scientific Literature in Airborne Wind Energy

et al. 2017

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Airborne Wind Energy (AWE) is a renewable energy technology that uses wind power devices rather than traditional wind turbines that take advantage of the kinetic wind energy, and remain in the air due to aerodynamic forces. This article aims to compare the scientific literature with the patents on wind power with tethered airfoils, to obtain better insights into the literature of this area of knowledge. The method used in this study was a comparative bibliometric analysis, using the Web of Science and Derwent Innovations Index databases, and the Network Analysis Interface for Literature Review software and VosViewer. It was possible to verify the main authors, research centers and companies, countries and journals that publish on the subject; the most cited documents; the technological classes; and the networks of collaborations of this work. It was also possible to identify that researches on wind energy with tethered airfoils began their studies in the late 1970s with the first patent apparently dated from 1975 by the inventors Dai and Dai. The first scientific publication was in 1979 by authors Fletcher and Roberts, followed by Loyd in 1980. United States is the country that presented the highest number of patents and scientific papers. Both scientific papers and patents set up networks of collaboration; that is, important authors are interacting with others to establish cooperative partnerships.

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“…Dadd et al 10 , Williams et al 34 studied the optimal path the kite should fly, and the resulting power extracted from the wind, when the tether is attached to a vehicle, such as a boat. Argatov and Silvennoinen 3 , Argatov et al 4 used the assumption of force equilibrium, neglecting the kite inertia, to derive simple analytic expressions for the instantaneous power generated by a pumping-cycle generator during the traction phase.…”

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confidence: 99%

Analysis of the maximum efficiency of kite-power systems

Costello

François

et al. 2015

Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy

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This paper analyzes the maximum power that a kite, or system of kites, can extract from the wind. Firstly, a number of existing results on kite system efficiency are reviewed. The results that are generally applicable require significant simplifying assumptions, usually neglecting the effects of inertia and gravity. On the other hand, the more precise analyses are usually only applicable to a particular type of kite-power system. Secondly, a novel result is derived that relates the maximum power output of a kite system to the angle of the average aerodynamic force produced by the system. This result essentially requires no limiting assumptions, and as such it is generally applicable. As it considers average forces that must be balanced, inertial forces are implicitly accounted for. In order to derive practically useful results, the maximum power output is expressed in terms of the system overall strength-to-weight ratio, the tether angle and the tether drag through an efficiency factor. The result is a simple analytic expression that can be used to calculate the maximum power-producing potential for a system of wings, flying either dynamically or statically, supported by a tether. As an example, the analysis is applied to two systems currently under development, namely, pumping-cycle generators and jet-stream wind power.

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Optimal Crosswind Towing and Power Generation with Tethered Kites

Cited by 164 publications

References 22 publications

Flight Dynamics and Stability of Kites in Steady and Unsteady Wind Conditions

Flight Dynamics and Stability of Kites in Steady and Unsteady Wind Conditions

Comparing Patent and Scientific Literature in Airborne Wind Energy

Analysis of the maximum efficiency of kite-power systems

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