TY - GEN
T1 - Lab-scale experimental crosswind flight control system prototyping for an airborne wind energy system
AU - Cobb, Mitchell
AU - Vermillion, Christopher
AU - Fathy, Hosam
N1 - Funding Information:
Thanks go to Dr. Peter Tkacik for his help, thoughtful input and advice. This work was supported by NSF Award Number 1538369, entitled Collaborative Research: Self-Adjusting Periodic Optimal Control with Application to Energy-Harvesting Flight.
PY - 2016
Y1 - 2016
N2 - This paper presents an original experimental setup for controlling and measuring the crosswind flight of airborne wind energy systems in a laboratory environment. Execution of crosswind flight patterns, which is achieved in this work through the asymmetric motion of three tethers, enables dramatic increases in energy generation compared with stationary operation. Achievement of crosswind flight in the 1:100-scale experimental framework described herein allows for rapid, inexpensive, and dynamically scalable characterization of new control algorithms without recourse to expensive full-scale prototyping. This work is the first example of successful lab-scale control and measurement of crosswind motion for an airborne wind energy system. Specifically, this paper presents the experimental setup, crosswind flight control strategy, and experimental results for a model of the Altaeros Buoyant Airborne Turbine (BAT). The results demonstrate that crosswind flight control can achieve nearly 50 percent more power production then stationary operation, while also demonstrating the potential of the experimental framework for further algorithm development.
AB - This paper presents an original experimental setup for controlling and measuring the crosswind flight of airborne wind energy systems in a laboratory environment. Execution of crosswind flight patterns, which is achieved in this work through the asymmetric motion of three tethers, enables dramatic increases in energy generation compared with stationary operation. Achievement of crosswind flight in the 1:100-scale experimental framework described herein allows for rapid, inexpensive, and dynamically scalable characterization of new control algorithms without recourse to expensive full-scale prototyping. This work is the first example of successful lab-scale control and measurement of crosswind motion for an airborne wind energy system. Specifically, this paper presents the experimental setup, crosswind flight control strategy, and experimental results for a model of the Altaeros Buoyant Airborne Turbine (BAT). The results demonstrate that crosswind flight control can achieve nearly 50 percent more power production then stationary operation, while also demonstrating the potential of the experimental framework for further algorithm development.
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U2 - 10.1115/DSCC2016-9737
DO - 10.1115/DSCC2016-9737
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:85015842554
T3 - ASME 2016 Dynamic Systems and Control Conference, DSCC 2016
BT - Advances in Control Design Methods, Nonlinear and Optimal Control, Robotics, and Wind Energy Systems; Aerospace Applications; Assistive and Rehabilitation Robotics; Assistive Robotics; Battery and Oil and Gas Systems; Bioengineering Applications; Biomedical and Neural Systems Modeling, Diagnostics and Healthcare; Control and Monitoring of Vibratory Systems; Diagnostics and Detection; Energy Harvesting; Estimation and Identification; Fuel Cells/Energy Storage; Intelligent Transportation
PB - American Society of Mechanical Engineers
T2 - ASME 2016 Dynamic Systems and Control Conference, DSCC 2016
Y2 - 12 October 2016 through 14 October 2016
ER -