Lateral Wind Gust Research Articles

Effects of lateral wind gusts on vertical axis wind turbines

This paper investigates the effects of lateral wind gusts on the aerodynamic performance of vertical axis wind turbines. A synthetic approach coupling computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations and the double multiple streamtube method is utilized to calculate vertical axis wind turbine performance. For simulating the wind gust response, the resolved gust approach (RGA) models the gust transport throughout the wind field. The effects of wind gusts on the effective wind velocity, angle of attack, torque and power performance are evaluated. The presence of gusts slightly changes the effective wind velocity and angle of attack. Lateral gusts increase the angles of attack in the upwind half period causing premature flow separations in the flowfield, while suppress flow separation by decreasing the angles of attack in the downwind period. The mean torque and power of the three-bladed turbines are enhanced by the lateral sharp-edge gust of 2 m/s by 5% in comparison to the steady wind. Reducing the number of blades to one and doubling the gust velocity make the performance further enhances by 14.7% and 34%, respectively. Finally, the effects of several gust shapes are investigated and discussed.

Simple Adaptive Delta Operator Aircraft Flight Control for Accommodation of Loss of Control Effectiveness

A new proof for stability of delta operator simple adaptive control is presented in terms of a set of Linear Matrix Inequalities (LMIs). The paper shows how to design a feedforward gain to satisfy the LMIs over a polytope of loss of control effectiveness failures. The MATLAB Robust Control Toolbox is used to find the feedforward gain with the smallest norm that satisfies the LMIs. Examples are presented of the F/A-18 aircraft and the Innovative Control Effectors (ICE) tailless aircraft that show the design of a feedforward gain for a loss of control effectiveness in any one control effector. The designs use a fixed eigenstructure assignment controller for an inner loop augmented with the simple adaptive controller. Simulations of both aircraft include simultaneous loss of control effectiveness failure and lateral wind gust. Simulation results for the F/A-18 aircraft show that the adaptive controller achieves almost perfect tracking whereas the nonadaptive controller cannot achieve a coordinated turn when an aileron failure occurs. The ICE tailless aircraft uses sideslip, washed-out stability axis yaw rate, and stability axis roll rate feedback for both the inner loop eigenstructure assignment controller and the simple adaptive controller. However, the adaptive controller also uses bank angle feedback. Simulation results for the ICE tailless aircraft show that the adaptive controller achieves almost perfect tracking whereas the nonadaptive controller diverges when an all moving tip failure occurs.

Spatial selection and grouping of raindrops by size in wind gusts

Results that indicate the grouping of droplets of the same size in certain regions of space have been obtained during in situ measurements of the instantaneous structure and spatial and temporal distribution of rains (using methods based on the effect of abnormally high modulation of the scattered light). Calculations that show that such a grouping can be associated with wind gusts and intense turbulence are presented. It is shown that a lateral wind gust leads to the grouping of drops of different sizes in different layers. The processes of spatial selection and grouping are considered for both the laminar flow in the case of droplets and for the turbulent flow regime in the case of the coarse fraction of drops. It is stated that the clustering of particles can lead to a sharp increase in the received signal strength and the anomalous dependence of the backscatter cross section on the wavelength. This means that not only the microstructure of scatterers, but also the dynamic state of the atmosphere should be considered in the interpretation of radar data, e.g., Z-I ratio. The considered clustering mechanism can cause the rapid formation of raindrops in the clouds.

On the dynamics of a tandem of asynchronous flapping wings: Lattice Boltzmann-immersed boundary simulations

In this paper, the flight performance of a tandem of symmetric flapping wings immersed in a viscous fluid is investigated. A harmonic motion is imposed to the wings which can travel only in the vertical direction. Specifically, the attention focuses on the role of the initial phase difference. The fluid domain is modeled through the lattice Boltzmann method. In order to account for the presence of the wings immersed in the lattice fluid background, the immersed boundary method is adopted. Once fluid forces acting upon the wings are computed, their position is updated by solving the equation of solid motion by the time discontinuous Galerkin method according to a strategy already validated by the author. A wide numerical campaign is carried out by varying the initial phase difference. Moreover, scenarios accounting for the presence of a lateral wind gust are shown. The flight conditions and performance are discussed for a wide set of configurations and compared with an in-sync configuration, showing that the wind gust reduces the performance in certain scenarios.

Experimental and Numerical Validation of a Wind Gust Facility

The study of a vehicle moving through a lateral wind gust has always been a difficult task due to the difficulties in granting the right similitude. The facility proposed by Ryan and Dominy has been one of the best options to carry it out. In this approach, a double wind tunnel is used to send a lateral moving gust on a stationary model. Using this idea as a starting point, the ISAE has built a dedicated test bench for lateral wind studies on transient conditions. Experimental work has been carried out by means of time-resolved PIV, aiming at studying the unsteady interpenetration of the two flows coming from each wind tunnel. Meanwhile, a 3D CFD model based on URANS was set up, faithfully reproducing the double wind tunnel. Both the experimental and numerical results are compared, and the evolution of the reproduced wind gust is discussed. Conclusions are finally determined about the validity of this kind of test bench for ground vehicle applications.

Robust Nonlinear Controls of Model-Scale Helicopters Under Lateral and Vertical Wind Gusts

A helicopter maneuvers naturally in an environment where the execution of the task can easily be affected by atmospheric turbulence, which leads to variations of its model parameters. This paper discusses the nature of the disturbances acting on the helicopter and proposes an approach to counter the effects. The disturbance consists of vertical and lateral wind gusts. A 7-degrees-of-freedom (DOF) nonlinear Lagrangian model with unknown disturbances is used. The model presents quite interesting control challenges due to nonlinearities, aerodynamic forces, under actuation, and its non-minimum phase dynamics. Two approaches of robust control are compared via simulations with a Tiny CP3 helicopter model: an approximate feedback linearization and an active disturbance rejection control using the approximate feedback linearization procedure. Several simulations show that adding an observer can compensate the effect of disturbances. The proposed controller has been tested in a real-time application to control the yaw angular displacement of a Tiny CP3 mini-helicopter mounted on an experiment platform.

Model Following Control of Hybrid 4WD Vehicles

This paper presents a method to design a rear wheel torque control system for hybrid four wheel drive vehicles (H4WD) and the results of its construction to an experimental vehicle. In the H4WD the front wheels are driven by an engine and the rear wheels are independently driven by two motors. The rear wheel torque control system employs a model following approach in which the yaw rate of the vehicle is controlled to track a reference yaw rate. The reference yaw rate is produced from a yaw rate reference model, a first order lag system which has a steering angle as the input signal. From results of computer simulations and experiments, this control system has been found to decrease the deflection of the vehicle due to lateral force disturbance such as lateral wind gusts. It also improves both the stahility and the controllability of the vehicle.