TY - GEN
T1 - Optimization of looped airfoil wind turbine (LAWT™) design parameters for maximum power generation
AU - Banerjee, Subhodeep
AU - Syrovy, George
AU - Song, Binhe
AU - Agarwal, Ramesh K.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2015 by ASME.
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - The looped airfoil wind turbine (LAWT™) is a patented new technology by EverLift Wind Tecnology, Inc. for generating power from wind. It takes advantage of the superior lift force of a linearly traveling wing compared to the rotating blades in conventional wind turbine configurations. Compared to horizontal and vertical axis wind turbines, the LAWT™ can be manufactured with minimal cost because it does not require complex gear systems and its blades have a constant profile along their length [1]. These considerations make the LAWT™ economically attractive for small-scale and decentralized power generation in rural areas. Each LAWT™ is estimated to generate power in the range of 10 kW to 1 MW. Due to various advantages, it is meaningful to determine the maximum power generation of a LAWT™ by optimizing the structural layout. In this study, CFD simulations were conducted using ANSYS Fluent to determine the total lift and drag coefficient for a cascade of airfoils. The k-kl-ω turbulence model was used to account for flow in the laminar-turbulent transition region. Given the lift and drag coefficients and the kinematics of the system, an analytical formula for the power generation of the LAWT" was developed. General formulas were obtained for the average lift and drag coefficients so that the total power could be predicted for any number of airfoils in LAWT". The spacing between airfoils was identified as the key design parameter that affected the power generation of the LAWT™. The results show that a marked increase in total power can be achieved if the optimum spacing between the airfoils is used.
AB - The looped airfoil wind turbine (LAWT™) is a patented new technology by EverLift Wind Tecnology, Inc. for generating power from wind. It takes advantage of the superior lift force of a linearly traveling wing compared to the rotating blades in conventional wind turbine configurations. Compared to horizontal and vertical axis wind turbines, the LAWT™ can be manufactured with minimal cost because it does not require complex gear systems and its blades have a constant profile along their length [1]. These considerations make the LAWT™ economically attractive for small-scale and decentralized power generation in rural areas. Each LAWT™ is estimated to generate power in the range of 10 kW to 1 MW. Due to various advantages, it is meaningful to determine the maximum power generation of a LAWT™ by optimizing the structural layout. In this study, CFD simulations were conducted using ANSYS Fluent to determine the total lift and drag coefficient for a cascade of airfoils. The k-kl-ω turbulence model was used to account for flow in the laminar-turbulent transition region. Given the lift and drag coefficients and the kinematics of the system, an analytical formula for the power generation of the LAWT" was developed. General formulas were obtained for the average lift and drag coefficients so that the total power could be predicted for any number of airfoils in LAWT". The spacing between airfoils was identified as the key design parameter that affected the power generation of the LAWT™. The results show that a marked increase in total power can be achieved if the optimum spacing between the airfoils is used.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84959463989&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1115/AJKFluids201528124
DO - 10.1115/AJKFluids201528124
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:84959463989
T3 - ASME/JSME/KSME 2015 Joint Fluids Engineering Conference, AJKFluids 2015
BT - Symposia
PB - American Society of Mechanical Engineers
T2 - ASME/JSME/KSME 2015 Joint Fluids Engineering Conference, AJKFluids 2015
Y2 - 26 July 2015 through 31 July 2015
ER -