Wind tunnel load measurements of a leading-edge inflatable kite rigid-scale model

Poland, Jelle Agatho Wilhelm; van Spronsen, Johannes Marinus; Gaunaa, Mac; Schmehl, Roland

doi:10.5194/wes-11-911-2026

Articles | Volume 11, issue 3

https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-11-911-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-11-911-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 11, issue 3

Research article

|

23 Mar 2026

Research article |

| 23 Mar 2026

Wind tunnel load measurements of a leading-edge inflatable kite rigid-scale model

Jelle Agatho Wilhelm Poland, Johannes Marinus van Spronsen, Mac Gaunaa, and Roland Schmehl

Data sets

Data of Wind Tunnel Load Measurements of TUDELFT_V3_KITE Rigid Scale Model Poland et al. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14288467

Surface mesh of the TUDELFT_V3_KITE CAD with edge fillets. Poland et al. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15316036

Model code and software

jellepoland/WES_load_wind_tunnel_measurements_TUDELFT_V3_LEI_KITE: Updating ReadMe J. A. W. Poland https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15316684

Short summary

We tested a small model of an energy-generating kite in a wind tunnel to study its aerodynamic behaviour. By comparing measurements to computer simulations, we validated the models and identified where they match the real performance and where they fall short. These insights will guide more accurate aerodynamic modelling and inform design choices for kites used in airborne wind energy systems.