Articles | Volume 7, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-2039-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/wes-7-2039-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
18 Oct 2022
Research article |
| 18 Oct 2022
| 18 Oct 2022
Flight trajectory optimization of Fly-Gen airborne wind energy systems through a harmonic balance method
Filippo Trevisi
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Aerospace Science and Technology, Politecnico di Milano, Via La Masa 34, 20156 Milan, Italy
Iván Castro-Fernández
Department of Aerospace Engineering, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Leganés, 28911 Madrid, Spain
Gregorio Pasquinelli
Department of Aerospace Science and Technology, Politecnico di Milano, Via La Masa 34, 20156 Milan, Italy
Carlo Emanuele Dionigi Riboldi
Department of Aerospace Science and Technology, Politecnico di Milano, Via La Masa 34, 20156 Milan, Italy
Alessandro Croce
Department of Aerospace Science and Technology, Politecnico di Milano, Via La Masa 34, 20156 Milan, Italy
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The power equations of crosswind Ground-Gen and Fly-Gen airborne wind energy systems (AWESs) are refined to include the contribution from the aerodynamic wake. A novel power coefficient is defined by normalizing the aerodynamic power with the wind power passing through a disk with a radius equal to the AWES wingspan, allowing us to compare systems with different wingspans. Ground-Gen and Fly-Gen AWESs are compared in terms of their aerodynamic power potential.
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Modeling the aerodynamic wake of airborne wind energy systems (AWESs) is crucial to properly estimating power production and to designing such systems. The velocities induced at the AWES from its own wake are studied with a model for the near wake and one for the far wake, using vortex methods. The model is validated with the lifting-line free-vortex wake method implemented in QBlade.
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Thematic area: Wind technologies | Topic: Airborne technology
Power curve modelling and scaling of fixed-wing ground-generation airborne wind energy systems
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Rishikesh Joshi, Roland Schmehl, and Michiel Kruijff
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Gianluca De Fezza and Sarah Barber
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Wood, T. A., Rapp, S., Schmehl, R., Olinger, D., and Demetriou, M.:
Electricity in the air: Insights from two decades of advanced control
research and experimental flight testing of airborne wind energy, Annu. Rev. Control, 52, 330–357, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arcontrol.2021.03.002, 2021. a, b
Short summary
The optimal control problem for the flight trajectories of Fly-Gen AWESs is expressed with a novel methodology in the frequency domain through a harmonic balance formulation. The solution gives the optimal trajectory and the optimal control inputs. Optimal trajectories have a circular shape squashed along the vertical direction, and the optimal control inputs can be modeled with only one or two harmonics. Analytical approximations for optimal trajectory characteristics are also given.
The optimal control problem for the flight trajectories of Fly-Gen AWESs is expressed with a...
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