Omnidea system in operation at Ota air force base, Portugal (14 October 2014). 30
Tiago Pardal CEO Omnidea Lda Campus da FCT Edificio 8, Sala 2.1 2829-516 Caparica Portugal tiago.pardal@omnidea.net www.omnidea.net
Analysis of Experimental Data of a Hybrid System Exploiting the
Magnus Effect for Energy from High Altitude Wind
Tiago Pardal, Pedro Silva
Omnidea Lda The determination of the operating conditions for a hy-brid lighter-than air platform with aerodynamic lift from the Magnus effect for the system being developed by Om-nidea was one of the objectives of the test campaign ducted at the Ota air force base, Portugal. Tests were con-ducted for a period of one year using an airborne mod-ule (ABM) in the form of a cylinder 16 m in length and 2.5 m in diameter [1]. This presentation describes results ob-tained from the analysis of wind data to assess the energy that can be extracted from the wind by the system and evaluates the nominal operating conditions for constant operation under most wind conditions.
The system, comprised of an ABM incorporating a range of sensors for measuring atmospheric parameters as well as the performance of the ABM, was operated to gather data to characterize the behaviour of the ABM under vary-ing condition and wind speeds in the range of 3 to 12 m/s. The results obtained serve to calculate the experimental values of CLand CDin order to validate the theoretical models used in the initial study [2,3]. Wind data acquired during the period November 2013 to October 2014 with a ZephIR 300 Lidar with an operating range of up to 200 m
are compared with WRF model forecasts for the same pe-riod. Analysis of test results and wind data indicate that adequate aerodynamic force for the production of power can be generated over wind speeds ranging from 3 to 20 m/s. Values of the force density over a range of rotation speeds are discussed. The amount of energy that can be generated is demonstrated by considering the variables that can be adjusted to suit prevailing conditions. Finally a new prototype comprised of a cylinder 16 m in length and 3.7 m in diameter with refinements of components is described for tests scheduled for the third quarter of 2015. References:
[1] High Altitude Wind Energy Conversion: http://omnidea.net/site/ index.php/research/wind-energy. Accessed 4 June 2015 [2] Penedo R. J. M., Pardal T. C. D., Silva P., Fernandes N. M., T. Fer-nandes R. C.: High Altitude Wind Energy from a Hybrid Lighter-than-Air Platform Using the Magnus Effect. In: Lighter-than-Airborne Wind Energy. Springer (2013)
[3] Perković L., Silva P., Ban M., Duić N.: Harvesting High Altitude Wind Energy for Energy Production: A Feasibility Study of Magnus’ Effect Concept. Proceedings of 6th Dubrovnik Conference on Sus-tainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems (SDEWES 2011), Dubrovnik, Croatia, September 2011
