Aerodynamic Performance and Wake Flow of Crosswind Kite Power Systems

Mojtaba Kheiri, Samson Victor, Sina Rangriz, Mher M. Karakouzian and Frederic Bourgault
Additional contact information
Mojtaba Kheiri: Fluid-Structure Interactions & Aeroelasticity Laboratory, Concordia University, 1455 de Maisonneuve Blvd. West, Montreal, QC H3G 1M8, Canada
Samson Victor: New Leaf Management Ltd., 500-1177 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 2K3, Canada
Sina Rangriz: Fluid-Structure Interactions & Aeroelasticity Laboratory, Concordia University, 1455 de Maisonneuve Blvd. West, Montreal, QC H3G 1M8, Canada
Mher M. Karakouzian: Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
Frederic Bourgault: New Leaf Management Ltd., 500-1177 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 2K3, Canada

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 7, 1-25

Abstract: This paper presents some results from a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of a multi-megawatt crosswind kite spinning on a circular path in a straight downwind configuration. The unsteady Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes equations closed by the k − ω SST turbulence model are solved in the three-dimensional space using ANSYS Fluent. The flow behaviour is examined at the rotation plane, and the overall (or global) induction factor is obtained by getting the weighted average of induction factors on multiple annuli over the swept area. The wake flow behaviour is also discussed in some details using velocity and pressure contour plots. In addition to the CFD model, an analytical model for calculating the average flow velocity and radii of the annular wake downstream of the kite is developed. The model is formulated based on the widely-used Jensen’s model which was developed for conventional wind turbines, and thus has a simple form. Expressions for the dimensionless wake flow velocity and wake radii are obtained by assuming self-similarity of flow velocity and linear wake expansion. Comparisons are made between numerical results from the analytical model and those from the CFD simulation. The level of agreement was found to be reasonably good. Such computational and analytical models are indispensable for kite farm layout design and optimization, where aerodynamic interactions between kites should be considered.

Keywords: airborne wind energy; crosswind kite; induction factor; wake model; aerodynamic performance; CFD; analytical model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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