Kite types such as the ones known from for instance kite surfing, can be used for generating mechanical power by “winding out” the kite wire while the kite is doing maneuvers (for instance circles directly downwind of the ground attachment) in the air.

Purpose

Investigation of various topics related to using kites for wind energy generation.

Description

Kite types such as the ones known from for instance kite surfing, can be used for generating mechanical power by “winding out” the kite wire while the kite is doing maneuvers (for instance circles directly downwind of the ground attachment) in the air. After the production phase the kite should be “wound back” to the production phase starting position in a low-drag mode after which the cycle is repeated. The present MSc project includes an analysis of the possible performance of a basic kite wind power system and includes several different sub topics that should be combined to give a better overview of the possibilities of using kites as an alternative to conventional alternative energy (that is: standard wind turbines).

The project can include several of the following topics: (kite) aerodynamics, wire statics/dynamics, control, generator, aeroelasticity and metrology. The questions sought answered could be one or more of the following: What are the scaling laws for a kite energy system? Are there applications where kite energy could potentially be more cost efficient than standard wind turbines? What height should a kite power system (using the performance obtainable with today’s production methods) operate in (does the increased wind velocities at higher heights justify operation at high altitudes)? What are the most critical issues/components for a kite energy system? Should the air unit be a kite or could a paraglider-type be used instead? What should rated wind speed be? What is the needed complexity of a simulation tool for the performance of kite energy systems? What improvements in the performance of today’s kites/generators/materials/other would have the greatest impact on the performance (production and/or cost) of a kite energy system? And many, many more…

This is a field in wind energy where there is hardly any activity in Denmark, and investigations are needed to determine whether the developments in the performance of kites and paragliders in combination with out-of-the-box thinking and sober engineering analysis could justify increased activity.

Project form
Master thesis project. Note that this is a project description for a student in search of an interesting project (mainly addressed to DTU students), and not a vacancy for a student job, which means that funding connected to the project is not possible

Qualifications

Since this is a field that is still in its start-up phase, emphasis will be on modeling first order effects and analyzing the most important parts of the physics at play. Therefore this is a great project for those who like starting out with a piece of blank paper, engineering common sense and fondness for thinking out of the box! Nevertheless, knowledge within the fields of aerodynamics and dynamics in general will come in handy, as could knowledge on basic control. Some level of programming skills (preferably Matlab) will be needed.

Project form

Thesis

Subjects

Engineering

Duration