Thesis (MScEng (Department of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering))--Stellenbosch University, 2006. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Wind conditions in South Africa determine the need for a small-scale wind turbine to produce useable power at windspeeds below 7m/s. In this project, a range of windspeeds, within which optimal performance o the wind turbine is expected, was selected. The optimal performance was assessed in terms of the Coefficient of Power(Cp), which rates the turbines blade's ability to extract energy form the avalible wind stream. The optimisation methods employed allowed a means of tackling the multi-variable problem such that the aerodynamic characteristics of the blade were ideal throughout the wind speed range. The design problem was broken down into a two-dimensional optimisaion of the airfoils used at the radial stations, and a three-dimensional optimisation of the geometric features of the wind rotor. by means of blending various standard airfoil profiles, a new profile was created at each radial station. XFOIL was used for the two-dimensional analysis of these airfoils. Three-dimensional optimisn involved representation of the rotor as a simplified model and use of the Blade Element Momentum(BEM) method for analysis. an existimg turbine blade, on which the design specifications were modelled, was further used for comparative purposes throughout the project. The resulting blade design offers substantial improvements on the reference design. The application of optimisation methods has successfully aided the creation of a wind turbine blade with consistent peak performance over a range of design prints. / Sponsored by the Centre for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies, Stellenbosch University

This thesis presents an aerodynamic shape optimization methodology for rotor blades of horizontal axis wind turbines. Genetic Algorithm and Blade Element Momentum Theory are implemented in order to find maximum power production at a specific wind speed, rotor speed and rotor diameter. The potential flow solver, XFOIL, provides viscous aerodynamic data of the airfoils. Optimization variables are selected as the sectional chord length, the sectional twist and the blade profiles at root, mid and tip regions of the blade. The blade sections are defined by the NACA four digit airfoil series or arbitrary airfoil profiles defined by a Bezier curve. Firstly, validation studies are performed with the airfoils and the wind turbines having experimental data. Then, optimization studies are performed on the existing wind turbines. Finally, design optimization applications are carried out for a 1 MWwind turbine.

The objective of this thesis is to investigate how the onboard battery of a quadcopter can be charged through manual rotation of its motors, while understanding the resulting aerodynamical forces acting on the rotors during hover, as well as considering the changes in thrust capabilities when the electronic and structural design are altered. A theoretical approach using the momentum theory will present a general understanding of rotor performance whilst describing the correlation between rotor parameters, thrust and mechanical power. Furthermore, the idea of using the motors as generators are put under study to investigate their electrical output and utilize them to recharge the battery. This is done using the counter electromotive force equation, and a sequence of other equations that will present numerical data of actual manual work converted into electrical power. Resulting in the required time to manually recharge the quadcopter subsequently sustaining hover flight for three minutes. It is concluded in this report that manual recharging of the battery using the motors as generators is possible, as well as maintaining its flying ability in case of added weight. Although not deemed practical in commercial use, it is a new methodology with the intention to develop a sustainable quadcopter further expanding its practical applications in both aviation industry and human aid.

This Master’s thesis focuses on the wind turbines. It describes the basic attributes of the wind energy and the wind potential of Slovak Republic, as well as the environmental impact of this sector. Meteorological data for the selected location are processed according to the Weibull distribution and they are used for the aerodynamic design of the wind turbine blades. Aerodynamic design is processed by using two methods. The first is the blade cascade theory, which is used to design prismatic and twist blades. The second method is called the blade element momentum, which is used to design wind turbine but only twist blades are designed by using this theory. Calculated aerodynamic shapes are compared and the best economic solution for the selected location is chosen.

This master‘s thesis focuses on wind turbines. The first part describes the basic attributes of wind energy and wind turbines and is accompanied by a many images. The next section is a statistical processing of measured meteorological data from measuring stations of the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute. These data are then used for calculations of the blades of wind turbines. The calculations are carried by two different methods. The first method is called the blade element momentum theory, the second method is the theory of blade cascade. Using these methods are obtained by two different blades. The last section compares the two blades in terms of geometric and performance.

The primary motivation for this work was to predict the conditions that would yield minimum drag for a small Ram-Air Turbine used to provide a specified power requirement for a small flight test instrument called the Boundary Layer Data System. Actuator Disk Theory was used to provide an analytical model for this work. Classic Actuator Disk Theory (CADT) or Froude’s Momentum Theory was initially established for quasi-one-dimensional flows and inviscid fluids to predict the power output, drag, and efficiency of energy-extracting devices as a function of wake and freestream velocities using the laws of Conservations of Mass, Momentum, and Energy. Because swirl and losses due to the effects of viscosity have real and significant impacts on existing turbines, there is a strong motivation to develop models which can provide generalized results about the performance of an energy-extractor, such as a turbine, with the inclusion of these effects. A model with swirl and a model with losses due to the effects of viscosity were incorporated into CADT which yielded equations that predicted the performance of an energy-extractor for both un-ducted and ducted cases. In both of these models, for this application, additional performance parameters were analyzed including the drag, drag coefficient, power output, power coefficient, force coefficient, and relative efficiency. For the un-ducted CADT, it is well known that the wake-to-freestream velocity ratio of 1/3 will give the maximum power extraction efficiency of 59.3%; this result is called the Betz limit. However, the present analysis shows that reduced drag for a desired power extraction will occur for wake-to-freestream velocity ratios higher than the value of 1/3 which results in maximum power extraction efficiency. This in turn means that a turbine with a larger area than the smallest possible turbine for a specified power extraction will actually experience a lower drag. The model with the inclusion of swirl made use of the Moment of Momentum Theorem applied to a single-rotor actuator disk with no stators, in addition to the laws of Conservation of Mass, Momentum, and Energy from the CADT. The results from the model w/swirl showed that drag remains unchanged while power extracted decreases with the addition of swirl, with swirl effects becoming more severe for tip speed ratios below about 5. As for CADT, reduced drag for a specified power extraction can be achieved when the wake-to-freestream velocity ratio is higher that than which provides maximum power extraction efficiency. The model w/losses due to viscosity incorporated the losses into the Conservation of Energy relationship. The results from the model w/losses showed that there is a distinct wake-to-freestream velocity ratio at which minimum drag for a specified power output is achieved, and that this velocity ratio is usually—but not always—higher than that for which the power extraction efficiency is a maximum. It was concluded that a lower drag for a specified power output of an energy-extractor can usually be achieved at a wake-to-freestream velocity ratio higher than that which produces the v maximum power extraction efficiency. The latter condition, known as the Betz limit for CADT, and which defines the minimum size for a turbine to provide a specified power extraction, is therefore not the correct target design condition to achieve lowest drag for a small Ram-Air Turbine to power BLDS.

Research into advanced wind turbine design has shown that load alleviation strategies like bend-twist coupled blades and coned rotors could reduce costs. However these strategies are based on nonlinear aero-structural dynamics providing additional benefits to components beyond the blades. These innovations will require Multi-disciplinary Design Optimization (MDO) to realize the full benefits. This research expands the MDO capabilities of Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines. The early research explored the numerical stability properties of Blade Element Momentum (BEM) models. Then developed a provincial scale wind farm siting models to help engineers determine the optimal design parameters. The main focus of this research was to incorporate advanced analysis tools into an aero-elastic optimization framework. To adequately explore advanced designs with optimization, a new set of medium fidelity analysis tools is required. These tools need to resolve more of the physics than conventional tools like (BEM) models and linear beams, while being faster than high fidelity techniques like grid based computational fluid dynamics and shell and brick based finite element models. Nonlinear beam models based on Geometrically Exact Beam Theory (GEBT) and Variational Asymptotic Beam Section Analysis (VABS) can resolve the effects of flexible structures with anisotropic material properties. Lagrangian Vortex Dynamics (LVD) can resolve the aerodynamic effects of novel blade curvature. Initially this research focused on the structural optimization capabilities. First, it developed adjoint-based gradients for the coupled GEBT and VABS analysis. Second, it developed a composite lay-up parameterization scheme based on manufacturing processes. The most significant challenge was obtaining aero-elastic optimization solutions in the presence of erroneous gradients. The errors are due to poor convergence properties of conventional LVD. This thesis presents a new LVD formulation based on the Finite Element Method (FEM) that defines an objective convergence metric and analytic gradients. By adopting the same formulation used in structural models, this aerodynamic model can be solved simultaneously in aero-structural simulations. The FEM-based LVD model is affected by singularities, but there are strategies to overcome these problems. This research successfully demonstrates the FEM-based LVD model in aero-elastic design optimization. / Graduate / 0548 / pilot.mm@gmail.com

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Purpose - The paper presents a theoretical framework that describes the aerodynamics of a falling maple (Acer pseudoplatanus) seed. --- Methodology - A semi-empirical method is developed that provides a ratio stating how much longer a seed falls in air compared to freefall. The generated lift is calculated by evaluating the integral of two-dimensional airfoil elements using a preliminary falling speed. This allows for the calculation of the definitive falling speed using Blade Element Momentum Theory (BEMT); hereafter, the fall duration in air and in freefall are obtained. Furthermore, the input-variables of the calculation of lift are transformed to require only the length and width of the maple seed. Lastly, the method is applied to two calculation examples as a means of validation. --- Findings - The two example calculations gave percentual errors of 5.5% and 3.7% for the falling speed when compared to measured values. The averaged result is that a maple seed falls 9.9 times longer in air when released from 20 m; however, this result is highly dependent on geometrical parameters which can be accounted for using the constructed method. --- Research limitations - Firstly, the coefficient of lift is unknown for the shape of a maple seed. Secondly, the approximated transient state is yet to be verified by measurement. --- Originality / Value - The added value of this report lies in the reduction of simplifications compared to BEMT approaches. In this way a large amount of accuracy is achieved due to the inclusion of many geometrical parameters, even though simplicity is maintained. This has been accomplished through constructing a simple three-step method that is fundamental and essentially non-iterative.