The application of biomimetic principles to enhance wind-turbine and micro aerial vehicle performance in gusty environments

应用仿生原理增强风力涡轮机和微型飞行器在阵风环境中的性能

• 批准号: 401927-2011
• 负责人: Rival, David
• 金额: $ 1.82万
• 依托单位: University of Calgary
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2013-01-01 至 2014-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=529358
• 关键词: application; biomimetic; principles; enhance; wind

Advancements in wind-turbine as well as Micro Aerial Vehicle (MAV) design are currently limited by the unsteady, gust-induced structural loadings incurred on their respective blades and wings. By studying how animals swim and fly in unsteady environments, improvements to gust performance can be achieved. Such biomimetic research takes advantage of millions of years of evolutionary optimization. One elegant example is found in the efficient flapping kinematics, shape and flexibility of seagull wings, all of which are fundamental to the animal's survival in gusty environments. An investigation into the influence of gust fields on the formation of separated, vortical structures - described as regions around the blade or wing dominated by strong unsteady and viscous effects - is proposed here. Such unsteady, separated flows are often dominated by coherent vortex structures, which are known to affect instantaneous blade and wing loadings tremendously. This examination will be undertaken using an array of numerical and experimental techniques including Scale-Adaptive Simulations (SAS), Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and Three-Dimensional Particle Tracking Velocimetry (3D-PTV). The simplest case of a longitudinal gust can generate a rapid yet non-uniform change in incidence along the span of a blade/wing, thus generating separated regions with strong three-dimensionality. In the past there has also been great speculation as to the influence of rotation - both centripetal and Coriolis contributions - on the spanwise flows within these separated regions. Therefore the current research program looks to uncover the underlying physics of these vortical flows by examining three aspects of increasing complexity, i.e. the influence of aspect ratio, the influence of rotation and finally, the influence of spanwise flexibility. It is expected that once these fundamental aspects of the problem are properly understood, advancements to future wind-turbine and MAV blade/wing shapes, structures and materials can be undertaken.

风力涡轮机和微型飞行器（MAV）设计的进步目前受到各自叶片和机翼上引起的非定常阵风诱导结构载荷的限制。通过研究动物如何在不稳定的环境中游泳和飞行，可以实现阵风性能的改善。这种仿生学研究利用了数百万年的进化优化。一个优雅的例子是海鸥翅膀的有效拍打运动学，形状和灵活性，所有这些都是动物在阵风环境中生存的基础。这里提出了一项阵风场对分离涡结构形成的影响的研究，涡结构是指叶片或机翼周围受强非定常和粘性效应支配的区域。这种不稳定的分离流通常由相干涡流结构主导，众所周知，相干涡流结构会极大地影响瞬时叶片和机翼载荷。这项研究将使用一系列的数值和实验技术，包括规模自适应模拟（SAS），粒子图像测速（PIV）和三维粒子跟踪测速（3D-PTV）。纵向阵风的最简单情况可产生沿叶片/机翼翼展沿着的迎角的快速但不均匀的变化，从而产生具有强三维性的分离区域。在过去，关于旋转对这些分离区域内展向流动的影响--包括向心和科里奥利贡献--也有很多推测。因此，目前的研究计划旨在通过研究三个日益复杂的方面，即展弦比的影响，旋转的影响，最后，展向灵活性的影响，揭示这些涡流的基本物理。人们期望，一旦正确理解了问题的这些基本方面，就可以对未来的风力涡轮机和MAV叶片/机翼形状、结构和材料进行改进。