An Innovative Design of a Microtab Deployment Mechanism for Active Aerodynamic Load Control

Kuo-Chang Tsai, Cheng-Tang Pan, Aubryn M. Cooperman, Scott J. Johnson and C. P. Van Dam
Additional contact information
Kuo-Chang Tsai: Department of Mechanical & Electro-Mechanical Engineering, National Sun Yat-sen University, No. 70 Lien-hai Rd., Kaohsiung 80424, Taiwan
Cheng-Tang Pan: Department of Mechanical & Electro-Mechanical Engineering, National Sun Yat-sen University, No. 70 Lien-hai Rd., Kaohsiung 80424, Taiwan
Aubryn M. Cooperman: Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, University of California - Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
Scott J. Johnson: Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, University of California - Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
C. P. Van Dam: Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, University of California - Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA

Energies, 2015, vol. 8, issue 6, 1-13

Abstract: This study presents an innovative design of a microtab system for aerodynamic load control on horizontal-axis wind-turbine rotors. Microtabs are small devices located near the trailing edge of the rotor blades and enable a rapid increase or decrease of the lift force through deployment of the tabs on the pressure or suction side of the airfoil, respectively. The new system has been designed to replace an earlier linearly-actuated microtab mechanism whose performance was limited by space restrictions and stiction. The newly-designed microtab system is based on a four-bar linkage that overcomes the two drawbacks. Its improved kinematics allows for the tab height to increase from 1.0% to 1.7% of the airfoil chord when fully deployed, thereby making it more effective in terms of aerodynamic load control. Furthermore, the modified four-bar link mechanism provides a more robust and reliable mechanical structure.

Keywords: wind turbine rotor; aerodynamic load control; microtab; four-bar linkage (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: 2015
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/8/6/5885/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/8/6/5885/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jeners:v:8:y:2015:i:6:p:5885-5897:d:51260

Access Statistics for this article

Energies is currently edited by Ms. Agatha Cao

More articles in Energies from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().