Engineering wake induction model for axisymmetric Multi-Kite systems

Abstract: Multi-kite airborne wind energy systems (MAWES) fly two or more kites in a high-altitude orbit that allows a main tether to unroll a generator. An engineering wake induction model could simplify the (axisymmetric) aerodynamics of such an unsteady actuator-annulus with variable thrust-coefficient, flight-radius, and downwind-direction apparent velocity, in comparison to high-fidelity wake models. To the authors' knowledge, existing engineering models do not predict the influence of variable flight radius. The goal of this paper is to synthesize a MAWES engineering model, a closed-form function approximating the axial induction factor ã, specifically at the kite mid-span, using linearized wake parameters, as available from a dynamics solver. A vortex tube model is used to construct a plausible approximation of the induction, which is then heavily simplified for computation tractability while retaining important flow physics

Object Details

• Location: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
• Extent: Online-Ressource
• Language: Englisch
• Notes: Journal of Physics: Conference Series. - 1256, 1 (2019) , ISSN: 1742-6596

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (where): Freiburg
• (who): Universität
• (when): 2025
• Creator: Leuthold, Rachel ; Crawford, Curran ; Gros, S ; Diehl, Moritz
• Contributor: Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg. Lehrstuhl für Systemtheorie, Regelungstechnik und Optimierung

Further information

• DOI: 10.1088/1742-6596/1256/1/012009
• URN: urn:nbn:de:bsz:25-freidok-2619713
• Rights: Open Access; Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.
• Last update: 15.08.2025, 7:27 AM CEST