MODELLING AND SIMULATION


”We are designing a new tool to collect energy from the wind and we tried to increase, the resonance phenomenon that appears”


when oscillating. The design of this bladeless induction system is quite different from a traditional turbine. Instead of the usual tower, nacelle and blades, the Vortex systems use a single mast of lightweight materials over a base. Traditional wind turbines such as HAWT (horizontal axis wind turbines) and VAWT (vertical axis wind turbines) work by rotation where the Vortex Bladeless device works through oscillation. The development process


for the VIV system, as any limitation associated with the ‘wake effect’ is avoided. Furthermore, the company expects Vortex devices to work better together, causing feedback and increasing the velocity of the vortices if they have the proper free space around them, which is estimated to be half of the total height of the device. For regular wind turbines,


this free space is usually five times the total height of the device.


The bladeless technology


consists of a cylinder fixed vertically with an elastic rod. The cylinder oscillates under certain wind conditions, which then generates electricity


through an alternator system. ‘Resonance is a great


way to transfer energy from a fluid to a structure. We obtain a resonance when two frequencies are close together, for example the natural frequency of a structure and, in this example, the frequency that is created by these vortices,’ explained Yáñez. ‘In Spain today we produce as much as 20 per cent of our energy from the wind but when we speak about the distribution of energy the king is the solar panel. ‘We are designing a new tool


to collect energy from the wind and we tried to increase, the resonance phenomenon that appears,’ added Yáñez.


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Vortex technology The outer cylinder of the Vortex Bladeless system is designed to be largely rigid and has the ability to vibrate, remaining anchored to the bottom rod. The top of the cylinder is unconstrained and provides the maximum amplitude of the oscillation. The structure is built using resins reinforced with carbon and/or glass fibre, the same materials used in conventional wind turbine blades. The rod’s top supports the mast and it’s bottom is firmly anchored to the ground. It is built of carbon fibre reinforced polymer, which provides a fatigue resistance and has a minimal energy leakage


requires careful examination of the device and an understanding of its behaviour in different wind conditions. The resonance of the mast and the vortices that are produced as wind passes across the device must be similar frequency for the oscillation motion to occur and generate energy. ‘We have to start to visualise


our device and here one key factor is Altair. To help us understand how our structure interact with the wind,’ stated Yáñez. When the frequency of the vortices is close to the resonance frequency of our mast then we begin to produce energy. We work a lot with AcuSolve and with HyperMesh to build this mesh.’


December 2019/January 2020 Scientific Computing World 21


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