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Full-Text Articles in Mechanical Engineering
Flow Energy Harvesting Based On Oscillating Passively-Deforming Airfoils, Firas F. Siala
Flow Energy Harvesting Based On Oscillating Passively-Deforming Airfoils, Firas F. Siala
Link Foundation Energy Fellowship Reports
The rising global trend to reduce dependence on fossil fuels has provided significant motivation toward the development of alternative energy conversion methods and new technologies to improve their efficiency. Recently, the idea of using oscillating airfoils has been gaining a wider scope of attention as a means of extracting kinetic energy from streams, rivers, tidal flows and wind (Xiao & Zhu 2014). A large contribution to the existing knowledge has come through the studies of animal flight and swimming (Drucker & Lauder 1999; Triantafyllou et al. 2000; Sane 2003; Ho et al. 2003), where the oscillatory/flapping motion of wings or …
Aerodynamics Of Biplane Wind Turbine Blades, Phillip K. Chiu
Aerodynamics Of Biplane Wind Turbine Blades, Phillip K. Chiu
Link Foundation Energy Fellowship Reports
Little is known about the aerodynamics of biplane wind turbine blades. Even more fundamentally, the two-dimensional aerodynamics of thick biplane airfoils are not well-understood. Supported by the Link Foundation Energy Fellowship, this research has sought to develop a better understanding of these aerodynamics through wind tunnel experiments and computational fluid dynamics. An understanding of biplane aerodynamics is a key step towards the commercial implementation of biplane wind turbine blades. These designs could enable larger turbines designs, ultimately reducing the cost of wind-generated electricity and helping to displace conventional means of electricity generation.
Flame Synthesis Of Iron Oxide Nanowires For Direct Coal Chemical Looping Combustion, And Tungsten Oxide Nanowires For Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting, Pratap Rao
Link Foundation Energy Fellowship Reports
The applications of metal oxide NWs are limited because conventional synthesis methods cannot achieve the scalable, rapid, controllable and economical synthesis of high-quality metal oxide NWs. In the present work, two novel methods for the flame synthesis of metal oxide NWs are developed, and the resulting nanowires tested for two promising, emerging energy conversion technologies: 1) Direct Coal Chemical Looping Combustion, and 2) Photoelectrochemical watersplitting. These synthesis methods are rapid, atmospheric, controllable and scalable, result in highly pure and crystalline materials, and could greatly extend the applicability of metal oxide nanowires to largescale energy conversion and storage problems.
Semiconducting Nanowire Solar Cells For Enhanced Energy Harvesting, Dong Rip Kim
Semiconducting Nanowire Solar Cells For Enhanced Energy Harvesting, Dong Rip Kim
Link Foundation Energy Fellowship Reports
Solar cells are attractive candidates for generating clean and renewable energy. Nanowires (NWs) due to their unique electrical and optical properties offer new opportunities to solar cells for reduced cost and improved efficiency. Although SiNWs have been already demonstrated as promising solar cell elements1 , to harness the full potential of SiNWs, SiNW solar cells require further characterizations and optimizations, including device integrations of SiNWs and surface treatments of SiNWs. Herein we report three main research results to characterize and optimize the performance of SiNW solar cells: 1) single and tandem axial p-i-n SiNW solar cells, 2) direct growth of …