Oscillating-wing unit for power generation. (June 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Liu, Tianshu; Ramasamy, RS Vewen; Radermacher, Ryne; Liou, William; Salazar, David Moussa
• Is Part Of: Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Volume 233:Number 4(2019)
• Page Start: 510
• Page End: 529
• Publication Date: 2019-06
• Subjects: Oscillating wings -- wind energy -- aerodynamics -- wind tunnel -- active control; Mechanical engineering -- Periodicals; Power (Mechanics) -- Periodicals; Production engineering -- Periodicals; 621
• DOI: 10.1177/0957650918790116
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0957-6509

Abstract

This paper describes an exploratory study of a nonconventional wind power converter with a pair of oscillating wings, which is called an oscillating-wing unit. The working principles of the oscillating-wing unit are described, including the aerodynamic models, kinematical, and dynamical models. The performance of the oscillating-wing unit is evaluated through computational simulations and the power scaling in comparison with conventional horizontal-axis wind turbines. Then, a model oscillating-wing unit is designed, built, and tested in a wind tunnel to examine the feasibility of the oscillating-wing unit in extraction of the wind energy in comparison with the theoretical analysis. The theoretical analysis and experimental data indicate that the oscillating-wing unit has the power efficiency comparable to the conventional horizontal axis wind turbine and it can operate at low wind speeds.