Leonie Daubmann

Wednesday, September 18, 2024, 14:00 - 15:00

Seminar room

In addition to conventional wind turbines, wind energy can also be generated using wind-powered rotokits. They are a cost-effective alternative to conventional wind turbines as they require less material to manufacture. In this paper, a model is derived that „unrolls“ the circle of the rotor. The model considers a single rotor blade that moves through the air in the simulation.
The aim of this work is to describe a rotor blade of a rotokit and to investigate its behavior using simulations. The „reverse pumping“ principle of a rotor blade of the rotokit is simulated and analyzed by a parameter variation in the functioning „pumping cycle“. The analysis of the behavior and simulation aims to better understand the „reverse pumping“ principle, as it still encounters difficulties in practice.
The model is derived to analyze the behavior of the „reverse pumping“ principle of a rotor blade of the rotokit through simulations. Without external influence, the rotor blade sinks down when there is no wind. To prevent this, the rotor blade is pulled downwards by a tractive force, which supplies energy again so that it can rise. This phenomenon is called the „reverse pumping“ principle. Parameter variations optimize the model so that the „reverse pumping“ principle can be extended with the optimized parameters by periodically pulling the tractive force. Constant coefficient simplifications result in a simplified model with which the rotor blade is compared.
The derived and analyzed model shows that the optimal choice of parameters is crucial for a good result. A single „Pumping-Cycle“ is not sufficient, as the rotor blade sinks again. However, a small height gain can be achieved and maintained by periodic „pumping cycles“. The simulation results make it clear that the „reverse pumping“ principle is heavily dependent on the coefficients and has a major limitation with regard to the angle of attack.