Airborne Wind Energy Systems Research Articles

Flight Anomaly Detection for Airborne Wind Energy Systems

Airborne wind energy (AWE) systems use tethered flying devices to harvest wind energy beyond the height range accessible to tower-based turbines. AWE systems can produce the electric energy with a lower cost by operating in high altitudes where the wind regime is more stable and stronger. For the commercialization of AWE, system reliability and safety have become crucially important. To reach required availability and safety levels, we adapted an fault detection, isolation and recovery (FDIR) architecture from space industry. This work focuses on, “flight anomaly detection” layer of the FDIR. Tests verifies that proposed architecture is capable of detecting flight anomalies without generating false alarms.

Tensile rotary power transmission model development for airborne wind energy systems

Rotary airborne wind energy (AWE) systems are a family of AWE devices that utilise networked kites to form rotors. One such device is the Daisy Kite developed by Windswept and Interesting. The Daisy Kite uses a novel tensile rotary power transmission (TRPT) to transfer power generated at the flying rotor down to the ground. Two dynamic models have been developed and compared; one with simple spring-disc representation, and one with multi-spring representation that can take account of more degrees of freedom. Simulation results show that the angular velocity responses of the two TRPT models are more closely correlated in higher wind speeds when the system shows stiffer torsional behaviour. Another interesting point is the observation of two equilibrium states, when the spring-disc TRPT model is coupled with NREL’s AeroDyn. Given the computational efficiency of the simpler model and the high correlation of the results between the two models, the simple model can be used for more demanding simulations.

Immersed boundary methods and their applicability in wind energy

Airborne wind energy systems often use kites made of thin membranes to save material costs and increase mobility. However, this design choice increases the complexity of the aeroelastic behaviour of the system and demands high-fidelity tools. On the aerodynamic side of the multi-physics problem, it is quite challenging to create a high quality body conforming grid due to the complexity of the geometry and the degree of deformation it undergoes. Immersed boundary methods (IBMs) are quite popular in fluid-structure interaction (FSI) problems that involve arbitrarily deforming bodies with complex geometries and are more tolerant to deformations compared to mesh deforming methods like ALE. This paper will look at some of the popular IBMs, outline criteria to evaluate their applicability, and discuss the limitations they have in fulfilling those in problems involving thin membranes.

Reference Design and Simulation Framework of a Multi-Megawatt Airborne Wind Energy System

In this paper, we present the design and computational model of a representative multi-megawatt airborne wind energy (AWE) system, together with a simulation framework that accounts for the flight dynamics of the fixed-wing aircraft and the sagging of the tether, combining this with flight control and optimisation strategies to derive the power curve of the system. The computational model is based on a point mass approximation of the aircraft, a discretisation of the tether by five elastic segments and a rotational degree of freedom of the winch. The aircraft has a wing surface area of 150 m2 and is operated in pumping cycles, alternating between crosswind flight manoeuvres during reel out of the tether, and rapid decent towards the ground station during reel in. To maximise the net cycle power, we keep the design parameters of the aircraft constant, while tuning the operational and controller parameters for different wind speeds and given contraints. We find that the presented design can generate a net cycle power of up to 3.8 megawatts.

The Influence of Tether Sag on Airborne Wind Energy Generation

The aim of this work is to propose engineering models to include the external forces acting on the tether into the power estimation of an Airborne Wind Energy System flying crosswind. The influence of aerodynamic drag, centrifugal force and gravitational force on power production is investigated. These three types of external loading acting on the tether are lumped with the kite and the tether is considered straight. In this way, a set of equations describing the tether shape and its influence on the power production is reduced to just one power equation. The formulation with straight tether and lumped quantities is suitable for preliminary designs and analyses and points out how the tether influence the system. On top of the results concerning the tether modelling, a new analytical model which includes the centrifugal forces into the power estimation for circular paths is presented.

Validation of the quasi-steady performance model for pumping airborne wind energy systems

The quasi-steady performance model (QSM) has been developed specifically for pumping airborne wind energy systems using flexible membrane wings. In this study, we validate this model using a comprehensive set of flight data that includes 87 consecutive pumping cycles and is acquired with the development platform of Kitepower B.V. The aerodynamic properties of the kite are determined using onboard measurements of the relative flow velocity. We found that neglecting the vertical wind component and straightening and slacking motion of the tether lead to substantial errors in the kite velocity calculated using the system model. A reasonable agreement between the QSM simulations and flight data can be obtained by multiplying the kite’s drag coefficient by a fudge factor and thereby turning the QSM into a grey-box model. The model accuracy is statistically evaluated as opposed to only evaluating a single pumping cycle per system configuration as done in earlier research.

Comparing blade-element theory and vortex computations intended for modelling of yaw aerodynamics of a tethered rotorcraft

The development of airborne wind energy systems involves many design compromises, which encourages the use of systematic optimization approaches, that rely on simple engineering models for each component. In this paper, we present results concerning rotary-based airborne wind energy devices, that are operating like autogiros tethered to the ground. This configuration results in operating conditions at unusual rotor inclinations with respect to the incoming flow. We therefore focus on the description of the aerodynamics of the rotor, comparing blade-element momentum and free-vortex approaches, so as to determine if simple aerodynamic models are adapted for being used in initial design phases.

A Control Solution for a Tethered Kite Trajectory Tracking With Application to Ship Propulsion

Abstract In the field of clean and green energy production systems, airborne wind energy (AWE) systems are really promising technologies. Replacing lightweight tethers with expensive towers, is an innovative solution to get energy from higher altitudes than classical wind turbines. But AWE systems can also be used to produce a traction force through a fast-flying airfoil, or kite. In this paper, the traction force is supposed to be used for ship propulsion. Such an application is permitted if the kite is kept on an appropriate trajectory. This paper thus considers the design of an automatic pilot for trajectory tracking. Its design requires a path-planning and a control strategies that are described here. In terms of control strategy, a robust CRONE controller is designed based on a family of linear models that stands for the nonlinear model of the kite and obtained numerically around several trajectories and for various flight conditions. Efficient trajectories for ship traction being periodic, a method involving tools dedicated to time-varying periodic systems is then used to validate the approach used for CRONE controller design.

Clustering wind profile shapes to estimate airborne wind energy production

Abstract. Airborne wind energy (AWE) systems harness energy at heights beyond the reach of tower-based wind turbines. To estimate the annual energy production (AEP), measured or modelled wind speed statistics close to the ground are commonly extrapolated to higher altitudes, introducing substantial uncertainties. This study proposes a clustering procedure for obtaining wind statistics for an extended height range from modelled datasets that include the variation in the wind speed and direction with height. K-means clustering is used to identify a set of wind profile shapes that characterise the wind resource. The methodology is demonstrated using the Dutch Offshore Wind Atlas for the locations of the met masts IJmuiden and Cabauw, 85 km off the Dutch coast in the North Sea and in the centre of the Netherlands, respectively. The cluster-mean wind profile shapes and the corresponding temporal cycles, wind properties, and atmospheric stability are in good agreement with the literature. Finally, it is demonstrated how a set of wind profile shapes is used to estimate the AEP of a small-scale pumping AWE system located at Cabauw, which requires the derivation of a separate power curve for each wind profile shape. Studying the relationship between the estimated AEP and the number of site-specific clusters used for the calculation shows that the difference in AEP relative to the converged value is less than 3 % for four or more clusters.

A nonlinear inverse model for airborne wind energy system analysis, control, and design optimization

AbstractThis paper describes a nonlinear model inversion for performance analysis and system optimization for airborne wind energy (AWE) systems. Airborne wind energy systems are lighter and potentially lower in cost than comparable conventional wind turbines due to using a tether and bridle rather than blades and a tower which must support high bending and compressive loads. They are also easier to install due to using a tension anchor rather than a foundation. There are many AWE systems in various states of R&D, but no commercial AWE wind farms currently exist. Because AWE systems are novel and significantly more complex to design, analyze, and test than conventional wind turbines, better analysis tools are important for the technology to mature.AWE system design involves many interdependent design trade‐offs, which are difficult to analyze with traditional tools; using simulations to iterate through parameters for design optimization is undesirable. A nonlinear model inversion based on appropriate simplifying assumptions is better suited to this task. The inverse model uses a trajectory input then calculates attitudes, forces, and control values required to follow that trajectory as well as power produced. Applicable constraints ensure that the trajectory is realizable. A validation is presented, using the output of the inverse model as a feed‐forward controller for a high fidelity simulation. The analysis shows good agreement with the simulation, despite simplifications such as a straight rigid tether, constant lift and drag coefficients, and a simplified rotor model.

Unified engineering models for the performance and cost of Ground-Gen and Fly-Gen crosswind Airborne Wind Energy Systems

Abstract This paper presents analytic equations modelling the main physics and cost of a generic Airborne Wind Energy System flying crosswind. The power equation of a system that can handle ground and on-board generation is presented, under the assumption of steady-state flight. A structural and a take-off model are used to derive the key equations for the flying mass estimation of a hard-wing kite. A modification of the power equation is carried out to show how to include gravitation forces in the power estimation. Finally, an economic model is introduced. The model presented in this paper is intended to describe the key behavior of the system based on basic principles. It is suitable to be coupled with system design tools.

Feasibility Analysis of Airborne Wind Energy System (AWES) Pumping Kite (PK)

A variety of renewable energy production devices can compete with one another, relative to their technical and economic advantages. Wind power is in the first rank in this competition when compared to other energy production systems. The kite pump system or kite generator is one of the airborne wind power systems that is powered by a flying kite. In this paper, a 47kW kite power system with wind velocity of 8 m/s at elevation of 100 meters and a projection area of 20 m2 with maximum lift to drag ratio of 12.6 and tether angle of 30 degrees is modeled. The forces taking into account in the traction and retraction phase are kite’s effective parameters such as power factor, asymmetric factor, pumping efficiency and cycle power have been investigated using MATLAB® and Excel™. The power curve of this system is illustrated in the process of power production. In a separate table, input and output of analysis are shown. For economic analysis, SAM (System Advisor Model) software has been utilized. The power coefficient was simulated up to 53%-55% of the reeling factor. In the economic analysis of the 47-kilowatt system, the annual energy that has been generated is 101,221 kWh and the Levelized cost of energy (LCOE) calculated is 7.66 ¢ / kWh. Overall, the results of the present research show a promising prospect in this category.

Computing the power profiles for an Airborne Wind Energy system based on large-scale wind data

Airborne Wind Energy (AWE) is a new power technology that harvests wind energy at high altitudes using tethered wings. Studying the power potential of the system at a given location requires evaluating the local power production profile of the AWE system. As the optimal operational AWE system altitude depends on complex trade-offs, a commonly used technique is to formulate the power production computation as an Optimal Control Problem (OCP). In order to obtain an annual power production profile, this OCP has to be solved sequentially for the wind data for each time point. This can be computationally costly due to the highly nonlinear and complex AWE system model. This paper proposes a method how to reduce the computational effort when using an OCP for power computations of large-scale wind data. The method is based on homotopy-path-following strategies, which make use of the similarities between successively solved OCPs. Additionally, different machine learning regression models are evaluated to accurately predict the power production in the case of very large data sets. The methods are illustrated by computing a three-month power profile for an AWE drag-mode system. A significant reduction in computation time is observed, while maintaining good accuracy.

Data-driven nonlinear aeroelastic models of morphing wings for control

Accurate and efficient aeroelastic models are critically important for enabling the optimization and control of highly flexible aerospace structures, which are expected to become pervasive in future transportation and energy systems. Advanced materials and morphing wing technologies are resulting in next-generation aeroelastic systems that are characterized by highly coupled and nonlinear interactions between the aerodynamic and structural dynamics. In this work, we leverage emerging data-driven modelling techniques to develop highly accurate and tractable reduced-order aeroelastic models that are valid over a wide range of operating conditions and are suitable for control. In particular, we develop two extensions to the recent dynamic mode decomposition with control (DMDc) algorithm to make it suitable for flexible aeroelastic systems: (1) we introduce a formulation to handle algebraic equations, and (2) we develop an interpolation scheme to smoothly connect several linear DMDc models developed in different operating regimes. Thus, the innovation lies in accurately modelling the nonlinearities of the coupled aerostructural dynamics over multiple operating regimes, not restricting the validity of the model to a narrow region around a linearization point. We demonstrate this approach on a high-fidelity, three-dimensional numerical model of an airborne wind energy system, although the methods are generally applicable to any highly coupled aeroelastic system or dynamical system operating over multiple operating regimes. Our proposed modelling framework results in real-time prediction of nonlinear unsteady aeroelastic responses of flexible aerospace structures, and we demonstrate the enhanced model performance for model predictive control. Thus, the proposed architecture may help enable the widespread adoption of next-generation morphing wing technologies.

Experimental rig investigation of a direct interconnection technique for airborne wind energy systems

Airborne wind energy is a new approach to reach the stronger and more consistent winds at higher altitudes. In this paper, the interconnection of pumping mode airborne wind energy systems inside an energy farm is investigated. An experimental rig hardware setup has been designed and built to model an AWE farm in small scale. A direct interconnection system has been developed and examined on the experimental test rig. The direct interconnection technique (DIT) is a new method developed for the interconnection of marine wind energy systems within an energy farm, without requiring offshore-based power electronic converters. DIT relocates power electronic converters from the offshore site to the shore substation by interconnecting marine generators directly to a common bus. This method makes possible significant improvements to the economy and reliability of marine renewable energy systems. In this paper, for the first time, the direct interconnection technique is investigated experimentally for physically emulated pumping mode airborne wind energy systems. The construction of the experimental rig hardware setup is described, and the laboratory test results for the direct interconnection of airborne wind energy systems are presented and discussed.

Design Optimization and Sizing for Fly-Gen Airborne Wind Energy Systems

Traditional on-shore horizontal-axis wind turbines need to be large for both performance reasons (e.g., clearing ground turbulence and reaching higher wind speeds) and for economic reasons (e.g., more efficient land use, lower maintenance costs, and fewer controllers and grid attachments) while their efficiency is scale and mass independent. Airborne wind energy (AWE) system efficiency is a function of system size and AWE system operating altitude is less directly coupled to system power rating. This paper derives fly-gen AWE system parameters from small number of design parameters, which are used to optimize a design for energy cost. This paper then scales AWE systems and optimizes them at each scale to determine the relationships between size, efficiency, power output, and cost. The results indicate that physics and economics favor a larger number of small units, at least offshore or where land cost is small.

Adaptive Flight Path Control of Airborne Wind Energy Systems

In this paper, we applied a system identification algorithm and an adaptive controller to a simple kite system model to simulate crosswind flight maneuvers for airborne wind energy harvesting. The purpose of the system identification algorithm was to handle uncertainties related to a fluctuating wind speed and shape deformations of the tethered membrane wing. Using a pole placement controller, we determined the required locations of the closed-loop poles and enforced them by adapting the control gains in real time. We compared the path-following performance of the proposed approach with a classical proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller using the same system model. The capability of the system identification algorithm to recognize sudden changes in the dynamic model or the wind conditions, and the ability of the controller to stabilize the system in the presence of such changes were confirmed. Furthermore, the system identification algorithm was used to determine the parameters of a kite with variable-length tether on the basis of data that were recorded during a physical flight test of a 20 kW kite power system. The system identification algorithm was executed in real time, and significant changes were observed in the parameters of the dynamic model, which strongly affect the resulting response.

Activities and Roadmap on Airborne Wind Energy Systems at UC3M

Activities and Roadmap on Airborne Wind Energy Systems at UC3M

Development of an airborne wind energy system using straight-bladed vertical axis wind turbine

Development of an airborne wind energy system using straight-bladed vertical axis wind turbine

Power Generation Using Kites in a GroundGen Airborne Wind Energy System: A Numerical Study

Abstract A computational model of a massless kite that produces power in an airborne wind energy (AWE) system is presented. AWE systems use tethered kites at high altitudes to extract energy from the wind and are being considered as an alternative to wind turbines since the kites can move in high-speed cross-wind motions over large swept areas to increase power production. In our model, the kite completes successive power-retraction cycles where the kite angle of attack is altered as required to vary the resultant aerodynamic forces on the kite. The flow field is found in a two-dimensional domain near the flexible kite by solving the full Navier–Stokes equations using an Eulerian grid together with a Lagrangian representation of the kite. The flow solver is a finite volume projection method using a non-uniform mesh on a staggered grid and corrector–predictor technique to ensure a second-order accuracy in time. The two-dimensional kite shape is modeled as a slightly cambered immersed boundary that moves with the flow. The flexible kite is modeled with a set of linear springs following Hooke’s law. The unstretched length of each elastic tether at a given time step is controlled using periodic triangular wave shapes to achieve the required power-retraction phases. A study was conducted in which the wave shape amplitude, frequency, and phase (between two tethers) were adjusted to achieve a suitably high net power output. The results are in good agreement with predictions for Loyd’s simple kite in two-dimensional motion. Aerodynamic coefficients for the kite, tether tensions, tether reel-out and reel-in speeds, and the vorticity fields in the kite wake are also determined.