Aerodynamics of a rigid curved kite wing

Abstract: A preliminary numerical study on the aerodynamics of a kite wing for high altitude wind power generators is proposed. Tethered kites are a key element of an innovative wind energy technology, which aims to capture energy from the wind at higher altitudes than conventional wind towers. We present the results obtained from three-dimensional finite volume numerical simulations of the steady air flow past a three-dimensional curved rectangular kite wing (aspect ratio equal to 3.2, Reynolds number equal to 3x10^6). Two angles of incidence -- a standard incidence for the flight of a tethered airfoil (6{\deg}) and an incidence close to the stall (18{\deg}) -- were considered. The simulations were performed by solving the Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes flow model using the industrial STAR-CCM+ code. The overall aerodynamic characteristics of the kite wing were determined and compared to the aerodynamic characteristics of the flat rectangular non twisted wing with an identical aspect ratio and section (Clark Y profile). The boundary layer of both the curved and the flat wings was considered to be turbulent throughout. It was observed that the curvature induces only a mild deterioration of the aerodynamics properties. Pressure distributions around different sections along the span are also presented, together with isolines of the average pressure and kinetic energy fields at a few sections across the wing and the wake. Our results indicate that the curvature induces a slower spatial decay of the vorticity in the wake, and in particular, inside the wing tip vortices.