Abstract
Among the renewable energy sources, high altitude wind power is gaining increased attention for its better strength, steadiness, and coverage compared to the traditional ground-based wind power with wind turbines. However, unlike the latter, the technology for high altitude wind is still immature and the works on the field are mostly empirical. In our research, we try to set up a framework about force analysis and provide a stepping stone for other kite energy researchers and engineers to develop more efficient systems. In this paper, we analyzed and experimentally verified the effects of acting aerodynamic forces at different angles of attack ranging from 0° to 90°. We also studied the power potentials of a kite corresponding to these varying forces. The work will enable a researcher or engineer to design a more feasible and more efficient kite power system with better understanding of the kite dynamics.
Highlights
Wind energy has changed from an almost negligible part of the total electricity supply of the world to a much larger, more important, and fast expanding component after recent explosive growth [1]
A kite generally flies with a large angle of attack, which is often greater than the stall angle
If we change the angle of attack, we can observe different aerodynamic behaviors of a kite, where both the absolute and relative magnitudes of each aerodynamic force will change
Summary
Wind energy has changed from an almost negligible part of the total electricity supply of the world to a much larger, more important, and fast expanding component after recent explosive growth [1]. The total wind energy per unit area grows even faster than the wind speed For this reason, the typical height of wind turbine towers increased from about 20 m in the 1980s to around 100 m today. Safely transmitting high electric power from sky to ground is a demanding challenge to be solved Another approach is to separate the wind harnessing component and the power-generating component of the wind turbine. By changing the flying pattern of the kite and the corresponding lifting force, the energy generated in generator mode will be significantly greater than the energy consumed in the electric motor mode, which in turn generates positive net power in a cycle. The airplane wings and wind turbine blades are sturdy and fixed while the kites used by most power-generating group are soft. We will further verify ourmodel with experimental results and give some summary and conclusions
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