Large Eddy Simulation of Airborne Wind Energy Systems flying optimal trajectories in turbulent wind
(2023) Wind Energy Science Conference 2023 — Location: Glasgow, Scotland (23.May.2023)
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- Abstract
- Airborne Wind Energy Systems (AWES) consist of rigid-wing aircraft or soft kites connected to the ground by a tether and harvesting power from the wind. Pumping-mode AWES are considered here: they generate power during the reel-out phase and consume a fraction of this power during the reel-in phase. Those devices fly complex trajectories which require advanced control strategies. In Haas et al. a Large Eddy Simulation (LES) framework was used to study AWES farms in realistic turbulent winds. The AWES were solely represented by their main wings, each being modelled as a single actuator line (AL) in the LES. The system dynamics were computed using a 3DOF point-mass model coupled to a closed-loop path tracking controller from the optimal control toolbox AWEbox. In the present work, we aim at developing a LES framework to study more realistic models of AWES in realistic turbulent winds. A reference rigid wing AWES is considered and is modeled using an actuator line to represent the main wing. The toolbox AWEbox is also used to generate reference trajectories and control the 6DOF rigid-body motion of the aircraft. The device is flown on a prescribed trajectory, using the kinematics and the control inputs (deflection of control surfaces) obtained using the trajectory optimization tool of AWEbox. The aerodynamic loads are measured and are then compared to those obtained by the optimizer. The forces measured using the LES were found to match well with the reference trajectory as optimized by AWEbox.
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Citations
Crismer, J.-B. (2023). Large Eddy Simulation of Airborne Wind Energy Systems flying optimal trajectories in turbulent wind. Wind Energy Science Conference 2023, Glasgow, Scotland.