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Full-Text Articles in Mechanical Engineering

Aerodynamic & Aeroacoustic Performance Of Wind Turbine Blades Featuring Enhanced Flow-Control, Md Zishan Akhter Nov 2023

Aerodynamic & Aeroacoustic Performance Of Wind Turbine Blades Featuring Enhanced Flow-Control, Md Zishan Akhter

Dissertations

Wind energy, being one of the cleanest and most sustainable sources, has undergone remarkable growth in recent years due to advancements in aerodynamics and increased power output. The research community is actively pursuing the development of cutting-edge solutions to further optimize wind turbine technology, ensuring its maximum efficiency and revolutionizing the landscape of wind power.
This research aims to design and develop flow-control devices for wind turbine blades, employing both active and passive control mechanisms, namely morphing trailing-edge and slot-profile, respectively. The objective is to enhance wind turbine performance across a wide range of wind speeds. The morphing trailing-edge mechanism …


Evolution Of Eddy Viscosity In The Wake Of A Wind Turbine, Luis Martínez-Tossas, Juliaan Bossuyt, Nicholas Hamilton, Raul Bayoan Cal Mar 2023

Evolution Of Eddy Viscosity In The Wake Of A Wind Turbine, Luis Martínez-Tossas, Juliaan Bossuyt, Nicholas Hamilton, Raul Bayoan Cal

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The eddy viscosity hypothesis is a popular method in wind turbine wake modeling for estimating turbulent Reynolds stresses. We document the downstream evolution of eddy viscosity in the wake of a wind turbine from experimental and large-eddy-simulation data.Wake eddy viscosity is isolated from its surroundings by subtracting the inflow profile, and the driving forces are identified in each wake region. Eddy viscosity varies in response to changes in turbine geometry and nacelle misalignment with larger turbines generating stronger velocity gradients and shear stresses. We propose a model for eddy viscosity based on a Rayleigh distribution. Model parameters are obtained from …


Non-Contact Condition Monitoring Of Wind Turbines Using Laser Vibrometers, Chen Shen, Ratneshwar Jha, Nand K. Singh Mar 2022

Non-Contact Condition Monitoring Of Wind Turbines Using Laser Vibrometers, Chen Shen, Ratneshwar Jha, Nand K. Singh

Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.


Rapid On Site Repair Of Wind Turbines By Cold Spray, Behrad Koohbor, Francis M. Haas, Joseph F. Stanzione Iii Mar 2022

Rapid On Site Repair Of Wind Turbines By Cold Spray, Behrad Koohbor, Francis M. Haas, Joseph F. Stanzione Iii

Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.


Behavior Of Hybrid And Monopile Foundation Systems For Owt: Centrifuge Testing And Numerical Modelling, Yazeed A. Alsharedah Feb 2022

Behavior Of Hybrid And Monopile Foundation Systems For Owt: Centrifuge Testing And Numerical Modelling, Yazeed A. Alsharedah

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Offshore foundation systems are constantly evolving to meet the needs of new developments in energy sector. Moving into ever deeper water for hydrocarbon recovery or creating foundation systems for renewable energy sources, such as offshore wind Turbines (OWT) farms, creates specific challenges. Large fixed vertical tower structures are typically used to support OWT inducing complex loading on foundations as a result of combined wind, wave and self-weight loading effects, all of which must be accommodated within very small rotation envelopes and natural frequency band to allow the turbines to operate effectively. In this thesis, a hybrid foundation (H.F) comprising a …


Using Blade Element Momentum Methods With Gradient-Based Design Optimization, Andrew Ning May 2021

Using Blade Element Momentum Methods With Gradient-Based Design Optimization, Andrew Ning

Faculty Publications

Blade element momentum methods are widely used for initial aerodynamic analysis of propellers and wind turbines. A wide variety of correction methods exist, but common to all variations, a pair of residuals are converged to ensure compatibility between the two theories. This paper shows how to rearrange the sequence of calculations reducing to a single residual. This yields the significant advantage that convergence can be guaranteed and to machine precision. Both of these considerations are particularly important for gradient- based optimization where a wide variety of atypical inputs may be explored, and where tight convergence is necessary for accurate derivative …


A Demand-Supply Matching-Based Approach For Mapping Renewable Resources Towards 100% Renewable Grids In 2050, Loiy Al-Ghussain, Adnan Darwish Ahmad, Ahmad M. Abubaker, Mohammad Abujubbeh, Abdulaziz Almalaq, Mohamed A. Mohamed Apr 2021

A Demand-Supply Matching-Based Approach For Mapping Renewable Resources Towards 100% Renewable Grids In 2050, Loiy Al-Ghussain, Adnan Darwish Ahmad, Ahmad M. Abubaker, Mohammad Abujubbeh, Abdulaziz Almalaq, Mohamed A. Mohamed

Mechanical Engineering Graduate Research

Recently, many renewable energy (RE) initiatives around the world are based on general frameworks that accommodate the regional assessment taking into account the mismatch of supply and demand with pre-set goals to reduce energy costs and harmful emissions. Hence, relying entirely on individual assessment and RE deployment scenarios may not be effective. Instead, developing a multi-faceted RE assessment framework is vital to achieving these goals. In this study, a regional RE assessment approach is presented taking into account the mismatch of supply and demand with an emphasis on Photovoltaic (PV) and wind turbine systems. The study incorporates mapping of renewable …


Designing A Recycling Facility For Energy Materials, Bartholomew Kitko, Matthew Berger, Elias Chiti, Trayce Harris, Mark Kulesa Jan 2020

Designing A Recycling Facility For Energy Materials, Bartholomew Kitko, Matthew Berger, Elias Chiti, Trayce Harris, Mark Kulesa

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The purpose of this design project is to create a recycling facility for energy materials. Different energy systems will be analyzed to determine the most economically appropriate energy material to recycle. A list of the energy systems to be analyzed includes catalyst converters, wind turbines, lithium ion batteries, photo-voltaic cells, and precious materials with high energy applications. This study involves two main parts: the research to determine the most appropriate energy material for recycling, while also choosing or creating recycling processes efficient enough to reduce the US’s reliance on foreign nations for obtaining their rare-earth materials. The second part is …


Data-Driven Modeling Of The Wake Behind A Wind Turbine Array, Naseem Ali, Raul Bayoan Cal Jan 2020

Data-Driven Modeling Of The Wake Behind A Wind Turbine Array, Naseem Ali, Raul Bayoan Cal

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The wake flow in a wind turbine array boundary layer is described using the Koopman operator. Dynamics of the flow are decomposed into the linear and forcing terms, and the low-energy delay coordinates are revealed. The rare events show the non-Gaussian long tails that capture the switching and bursting phenomena. The near-wake region shows the incoherent phase space region, where the dynamics are strongly nonlinear. The far-wake region is marked with the small non-Gaussian forcing term, and the dynamics are largely governed by linear dynamics. The data-driven predictive model is built based on the Hankel-based dynamic mode decomposition and treats …


Wind Farm Layout Optimization With Loads Considerations, Andrew P. J. Stanley, Jennifer King, Andrew Ning Oct 2019

Wind Farm Layout Optimization With Loads Considerations, Andrew P. J. Stanley, Jennifer King, Andrew Ning

Faculty Publications

The objective of this paper is to improve the annual energy production of a wind farm by optimizing the layout of a wind farm, while considering fatigue loads on turbines. In this paper, the loads are estimated using the edgewise bending moment computed using CCBlade, a steady-state blade element momentum code. The edgewise bending moment is then used to calculate fatigue damage using Miner’s rule. The fatigue damage is used to constrain the layout optimization problem. We show that our method can predict blade root damage with similar trends to damage calculated with other methods, such as a complex, computationally …


A Novel Correlation Model For Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines Operating At High-Interference Flow Regimes, Anurag Rajan, Fernando L. Ponta Mar 2019

A Novel Correlation Model For Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines Operating At High-Interference Flow Regimes, Anurag Rajan, Fernando L. Ponta

Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics Publications

Driven by economics-of-scale factors, wind-turbine rotor sizes have increased formidably in recent years. Larger rotors with lighter blades of increased flexibility will experiment substantially higher levels of deformation. Future turbines will also incorporate advanced control strategies to widen the range of wind velocities over which energy is captured. These factors will extend turbine operational regimes, including flow states with high interference factors. In this paper we derive a new empirical relation to both improve and extend the range of Blade Element Momentum (BEM) models, when applied to high interference-factor regimes. In most BEM models, these flow regimes are modeled using …


Efficient Incorporation Of Fatigue Damage Constraints In Wind Turbine Blade Optimization, Bryce Taylor Ingersoll Aug 2018

Efficient Incorporation Of Fatigue Damage Constraints In Wind Turbine Blade Optimization, Bryce Taylor Ingersoll

Theses and Dissertations

Improving the wind turbine blade design has a significant effect on the efficiency of the wind turbine. This is a challenging multi-disciplinary optimization problem. During the blade design process, the aerodynamic shapes, sizing of the structural members, and material composition must all be determined and optimized. Some previous blade design methods incorporate the wind turbine's static response with an added safety factor to account for neglected dynamic effects. Others incorporate the dynamic response, but in general is limited to a few design cases. By not fully incorporating the dynamic response of the wind turbine, the final turbine blade design is …


Wind Energy And Wind-Energy-Inspired Turbulent Wakes: Modulation Of Structures, Mechanisms And Flow Regimes, Elizabeth H. Camp Jun 2018

Wind Energy And Wind-Energy-Inspired Turbulent Wakes: Modulation Of Structures, Mechanisms And Flow Regimes, Elizabeth H. Camp

Dissertations and Theses

The interaction of turbulent wakes with one another and with the adjacent fluid directly impacts the generation of electricity in wind turbine arrays. Computational modeling is well suited to the repeated iterations of data generation that may be required to inform understanding of the function of wind farms as well as to develop control schemes for plant function. In order to perform such computational studies, a simplified model of the turbine must be implemented. One of the most computationally efficient parametrizations of the blade utilizes a stationary disk which has a prescribed drag and produces a wake. However, since accurate …


Relationship Between Anisotropy And Dispersive Stress In Wind Plants With Variable Spacing, Tamara S. Dib Mar 2018

Relationship Between Anisotropy And Dispersive Stress In Wind Plants With Variable Spacing, Tamara S. Dib

Dissertations and Theses

Large eddy simulations are considered for wind plants with varied spanwise and streamwise spacing. Data from five different configurations of staggered and aligned LES wind turbine arrays with a neutrally stratified atmospheric boundary layer are employed for analysis. Fields are analyzed by evaluating the anisotropy stress invariants based on the Reynolds shear stresses and dispersive stress tensor. The relationship between quantities are drawn as a function of the wind plant packing. Reynolds stresses and dispersive stresses are investigated alongside a domain altered version of the second and third scalar invariants, ξ, η, as well as the combination of the …


Triboelectric Turbines: Design And Construction Of A Multi-Rotor Counter-Rotating Wind Turbine Utilizing Direct-Current Triboelectric Nanogenerators, Adam Forti Jun 2017

Triboelectric Turbines: Design And Construction Of A Multi-Rotor Counter-Rotating Wind Turbine Utilizing Direct-Current Triboelectric Nanogenerators, Adam Forti

Honors Theses

Direct-current triboelectric nanogenerators (DC-TENG) harness the friction generated between dissimilar rotating materials and convert it to useable electrical power. One of the many potential applications of this technology is in small scale renewable energy. A wind turbine was designed in which multiple DC-TENG generators would be attached to turbine blades of varying dimensions. This project involved the design and construction of several rotating DC-TENG prototypes, followed by measuring the electrical output of each nanogenerator at various rotational speeds.


Computational Fluid Dynamic Modeling And Analysis Of Small Scale Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines, Madeline Samuell Jun 2017

Computational Fluid Dynamic Modeling And Analysis Of Small Scale Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines, Madeline Samuell

Honors Theses

As the demand for wind power grows the technology used to research and further develop wind power must become more sophisticated. Experiments are expensive and require high end test facilities; a commonly used alternative to experimentation are computational fluid dynamic (CFD) models of wind turbines. For this project Star- CCM+ a CFD software was used to determine the power generated by small scale horizontal axis wind turbines. The Reynolds-Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) equations were applied to the models in order to solve for the average flow. Though a variety of different types of simulations were used the focus was on …


Focused-Based Multifractal Analysis Of The Wake In A Wind Turbine Array Utilizing Proper Orthogonal Decomposition, Naseem Ali, Hawwa Falih Kadum, Raúl Bayoán Cal Nov 2016

Focused-Based Multifractal Analysis Of The Wake In A Wind Turbine Array Utilizing Proper Orthogonal Decomposition, Naseem Ali, Hawwa Falih Kadum, Raúl Bayoán Cal

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Hot-wire anemometry measurements have been performed in a 3×3 wind turbine array to study the multifractality of the turbulent kinetic energy dissipation. A multifractal spectrum and Hurst exponents are determined at nine locations downstream of the hub height, bottom and top tips. Higher multifractality is found at 0.5D and 1D downstream of the bottom tip and hub height. The second order of the Hurst exponent and combination factor shows the ability to predict the flow state in terms of its development. Snapshot proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) is used to identify the coherent and incoherent structures and to reconstruct the stochastic …


Distribution Of Mean Kinetic Energy Around An Isolated Wind Turbine And A Characteristic Wind Turbine Of A Very Large Wind Farm, Gerard Cortina, Marc Calaf, Raul Bayoan Cal Nov 2016

Distribution Of Mean Kinetic Energy Around An Isolated Wind Turbine And A Characteristic Wind Turbine Of A Very Large Wind Farm, Gerard Cortina, Marc Calaf, Raul Bayoan Cal

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

An isolated wind turbine and a very large wind farm are introduced into large-eddy simulations of an atmospheric boundary layer. The atmospheric flow is forced with a constant geostrophic wind and a time-varying surface temperature extracted from a selected period of the CASES-99 field experiment. A control volume approach is used to directly compare the transfer of mean kinetic energy around a characteristic wind turbine throughout a diurnal cycle considering both scenarios. For the very large wind farm case, results illustrate that the recovery of mean kinetic energy around a wind turbine is dominated by the vertical flux, regardless of …


Effect Of Airfoil And Composite Layer Thicknesses On An Aerostructural Blade Optimization For Wind Turbines, Ryan Barrett, Ian Freeman, Andrew Ning Jul 2015

Effect Of Airfoil And Composite Layer Thicknesses On An Aerostructural Blade Optimization For Wind Turbines, Ryan Barrett, Ian Freeman, Andrew Ning

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this research is to enhance the performance of wind turbine blades by exploring the effect of adding airfoil and material layer thicknesses to the optimization design process. This is accomplished by performing an aerostructural blade optimization to minimize mass over annual energy production and thereby reduce the cost of energy. Changing airfoil thickness allows the airfoil shape to evolve as part of the optimization. The airfoil thicknesses are allowed to vary within two airfoil families, the TU-Delft and NACA 64-series, that are used in the NREL 5-MW reference turbine. Both experimental wind tunnel and computational data are …


Vortex Identification In The Wake Of A Wind Turbine Array, Aleksandr Sergeyevich Aseyev Mar 2015

Vortex Identification In The Wake Of A Wind Turbine Array, Aleksandr Sergeyevich Aseyev

Dissertations and Theses

Vortex identification techniques are used to analyze the flow structure in a 4 x 3 array of scale model wind turbines. Q-criterion, Δ-criterion, and λ2-criterion are applied to Particle Image Velocimetry data gathered fore and aft of the last row centerline turbine. Q-criterion and λ2-criterion provide a clear indication of regions where vortical activity exists while the Δ-criterion does not. Galilean decomposition, Reynolds decomposition, vorticity, and swirling strength are used to further understand the location and behavior of the vortices. The techniques identify and display the high magnitude vortices in high shear zones resulting from the …


Development Of A Support Structure For Multi-Rotor Wind Turbines, Gaurav Murlidhar Mate Nov 2014

Development Of A Support Structure For Multi-Rotor Wind Turbines, Gaurav Murlidhar Mate

Masters Theses

The earliest design of a wind power system with multiple rotors on a single support structure dates back to the late 1800s. Such a system called a Multi-Rotor Wind Turbine (MRWT) was proposed by several researchers due to its perceived advantages over a single-rotor wind turbine. As turbine size increases, power produced by a rotor tends to scale up as the square of its diameter, as opposed to rotor weight which varies as its cube. So, several smaller rotors will weigh and cost less than one large rotor producing the same power. MRWTs offer several advantages such as better distribution …


Shrouded Small Wind Turbines, Kristen Flannery, Michael Holligan, Joseph Soares Jun 2014

Shrouded Small Wind Turbines, Kristen Flannery, Michael Holligan, Joseph Soares

Mechanical Engineering Senior Theses

The goal of this project is to improve the energy production of small wind turbines (rated less than 100 kW) by increasing wind velocity at the turbine blades through the design of a shroud attachment. The design process involves the analysis of various computer aided design (CAD) nozzle/diffuser shroud geometries. Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) modeling is used to analyze the effect of shroud features on velocity and pressure fields. A 3D printed scale model is tested in a wind tunnel with strain gauges and pressure transducers to validate the CFD data. The resulting design locally increases velocity by a factor …


Understanding The Benefits And Limitations Of Increasing Maximum Rotor Tip Speed For Utility-Scale Wind Turbines, Andrew Ning Jun 2014

Understanding The Benefits And Limitations Of Increasing Maximum Rotor Tip Speed For Utility-Scale Wind Turbines, Andrew Ning

Faculty Publications

For utility-scale wind turbines, the maximum rotor rotation speed is generally constrained by noise considerations. Innovations in acoustics and/or siting in remote locations may enable future wind turbine designs to operate with higher tip speeds. Wind turbines designed to take advantage of higher tip speeds are expected to be able to capture more energy and utilize lighter drivetrains because of their decreased maximum torque loads. However, the magnitude of the potential cost savings is unclear, and the potential trade-offs with rotor and tower sizing are not well understood. A multidisciplinary, system-level framework was developed to facilitate wind turbine and wind …


Experimental Study On Influence Of Pitch Motion On The Wake Of A Floating Wind Turbine Model, Stanislav Rockel, Elizabeth Camp, Jonas Schmidt, Joachim Peinke, Raúl Bayoán Cal, Michael Höllimg Mar 2014

Experimental Study On Influence Of Pitch Motion On The Wake Of A Floating Wind Turbine Model, Stanislav Rockel, Elizabeth Camp, Jonas Schmidt, Joachim Peinke, Raúl Bayoán Cal, Michael Höllimg

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Wind tunnel experiments were performed, where the development of the wake of a model wind turbine was measured using stereo Particle Image Velocimetry to observe the influence of platform pitch motion. The wakes of a classical bottom fixed turbine and a streamwise oscillating turbine are compared. Results indicate that platform pitch creates an upward shift in all components of the flow and their fluctuations. The vertical flow created by the pitch motion as well as the reduced entrainment of kinetic energy from undisturbed flows above the turbine result in potentially higher loads and less available kinetic energy for a downwind …


Small-Scale Wind Turbines: An Appraisal, Tony Kealy Sep 2013

Small-Scale Wind Turbines: An Appraisal, Tony Kealy

Conference Papers

This research seeks to evaluate the economic benefits to be gained by installing a small-scale wind turbine for a customer with a three-phase electrical supply requirement. The evidence for the claims made in this paper is obtained by using actual data obtained from the installed equipment over a three year period. The objective is to accurately appraise the financial investment using real data. There appears to be limited studies conducted into this type of research, possibly because the renewable energy sector is in the infancy stage in the host country, Ireland. There are some wind energy installations with financial appraisal …


Water Desalination And Purification Using Renewable Energy Technologies, Michael Louis Broggi Aug 2013

Water Desalination And Purification Using Renewable Energy Technologies, Michael Louis Broggi

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Water is an essential element of life as well as an integral cornerstone of any civilizations economic development. Although taken for granted by most living in developed nations, access to clean drinking water still proves to be a daily struggle for more than 1.2 billion individuals around the globe. More than 10% of the global population consumes food grown using waste water on a daily basis. Desalination facilities are in operation around the globe but are extremely large consumers of energy. There are several options available today which can reduce this energy demand and bring the desalination process down to …


Momentum Theory With Slipstream Rotation Applied To Wind Turbines, Doug F. Hunsaker, W. F. Phillips Jun 2013

Momentum Theory With Slipstream Rotation Applied To Wind Turbines, Doug F. Hunsaker, W. F. Phillips

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

A momentum theory which includes the effects of slipstream rotation for wind turbines is presented. The theory accounts for the axial and radial pressure gradients within the slipstream as well as the wake expansion caused by wake rotation. Because of the limiting approximations of previous methods, the effects of slipstream rotation have not been accurately realized. The method included here, which does not suffer from the unrealistic approximations of previous methods, predicts that the effects of slipstream rotation are manifest entirely through an increase in the turbine thrust coefficient. The method predicts, as previous methods do, that the Lanchester-Betz-Joukowski limit …


Modal Analysis To Minimize Gearbox Induced Noise Of General Electric Wind Turbines, Matthew Evans May 2013

Modal Analysis To Minimize Gearbox Induced Noise Of General Electric Wind Turbines, Matthew Evans

All Theses

With the current global emphasis on alternative green energy sources, wind turbine technologies have seen significant growth in recent years. Today, wind turbines are being produced and constructed at unprecedented levels with their sites inching closer and closer to residential communities. With that, wind turbine companies have been receiving growing complains about the noise emitted from these turbines during operation. To resolve this issue, many of these companies are spending more resources to design and manufacture quieter wind turbines. In particular, General Electric (GE) intends to reduce the noise created by their 2.5 MW CGDT wind turbines. Previous studies showed …


Computational Study Of Savonius Wind Turbine, Asmita C. Chinchore Jan 2013

Computational Study Of Savonius Wind Turbine, Asmita C. Chinchore

ETD Archive

This project involves study of 2-Blade and 3-Blade Savonius vertical wind turbines positioned at different orientations. For a 2-Blade turbine the orientations considered were 0 degree, 45 degree, 90 degree and 135 degree in reference to the direction of the prevailing wind and for the 3-Blade turbine the orientations taken into account were 0 degree, 30 degree, 60 degree and 90 degree in reference to the direction of the prevailing wind. The basic aim of this thesis was to study how the two designs are different from each other and which design produces more power when applied with constant wind …


Development Of A Scale Model Wind Turbine For Testing Of Offshore Floating Wind Turbine Systems, Heather Rae Martin Dec 2011

Development Of A Scale Model Wind Turbine For Testing Of Offshore Floating Wind Turbine Systems, Heather Rae Martin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents the development of a 1/50th scale 5 MW wind turbine intended for wind and wave basin model testing of commercially viable floating wind turbine structures. The design is based on a popular 5 MW wind turbine designed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) commonly utilized in numerical modeling efforts. The model wind turbine is to accompany generic floating model platforms for basin model testing. The ultimate goal of the model development testing program is to collect data for validating various floating wind turbine simulation codes such as those developed by NREL. This thesis will present an …