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MODELLING AND SIMULATION


Winds of change


Advanced simulation tools provide a platform to develop advancements in energy generation technologies, writes Robert Roe


Through the use of cutting- edge simulation, software engineers are developing innovative new wind energy technology and increasing the efficiency and durability of wind turbines. The drive to find sustainable energy sources is one of the most pressing concerns facing society. The development of advanced sustainable energy sources offers not only an increase in power and efficiency of energy generation, but also an alternative to fossil fuels. Fossil fuel resources are


becoming scarcer and so renewable sources such as wind and solar power are providing more power than ever before. The UK, for example, has set a target of 20 per cent of its total energy being produced by renewable sources by 2020. Increasing the efficiency of


technologies like solar panels and wind turbines is a key challenge to the success of renewable energy sources, along with production and manufacturing costs.


The use of modelling and simulation software offers path towards innovation as large-scale simulation can be employed to help design new systems and increase the efficiency of existing technologies to make them more economically viable. At the UK Altair Technology


Conference (ATC) 2019, David Yáñez, co-founder of Spanish tech-startup, Vortex Bladeless, presented the company’s design for a new wind energy technology. One of the key characteristics of this system is the reduction of mechanical elements that can be worn by friction. The company developed the technology using CFD tools provided by Altair, which helped the company study both the fluid-structure interaction and the behaviour of the magnetic fields in the alternator. The results are then compared with experimental results obtained both in wind tunnel and in real application environments. Vortex Bladeless is a


vortex-induced vibration 20 Scientific Computing World December 2019/January 2020


resonant wind generator. It harnesses wind energy from a phenomenon of vorticity called vortex shedding. Vortex shedding is an oscillating flow that takes place when a fluid such as air or water flows past a bluff at certain velocities. In fluid mechanics, as the wind passes through a blunt body, the flow is modified and generates a cyclical pattern of vortices. Once the frequency of these


forces is close enough to the body’s structural frequency, the body starts to oscillate and enters into resonance with the wind. This is also known as vortex induced vibration (VIV). Vortex’s mast geometry is


”Resonance is a great way to transfer energy from a fluid to a structure”


designed to achieve maximum performance based on the average observed wind velocities. It is able to adapt very quickly to wind direction changes and turbulent airflows commonly observed in urban environments. The disturbance of the


downstream wind current is why regular turbines need to be installed at a certain distance to each other. However this is not the case


@scwmagazine | www.scientific-computing.com


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