Airborne Wind Energy Tethers with High-Modulus Polyethylene Fibers

Bosman, Rigo; Reid, Valerie; Vlasblom, Martin; Smeets, Paul

doi:10.1007/978-3-642-39965-7_33

Cited by 24 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Cables for AWESs are usually made of Ultra-High-MolecularWeight Polyethylene (UHMWPE), a relatively low-cost material with excellent mechanical properties [114] even though many different materials are being used and studied [115]. The cables can be 1, 2 or 3 and in some concepts they carry electricity for power generation or just for on-board actuation.…”

Section: Cablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Airborne Wind Energy Systems: A review of the technologies

Cherubini

Papini

Vertechy

et al. 2015

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews

260

167

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Among novel technologies for producing electricity from renewable resources, a new class of wind energy converters has been conceived under the name of Airborne Wind Energy Systems (AWESs). This new generation of systems employs flying tethered wings or aircraft in order to reach winds blowing at atmosphere layers that are inaccessible by traditional wind turbines. Research on AWESs started in the mid seventies, with a rapid acceleration in the last decade. A number of systems based on radically different concepts have been analyzed and tested. Several prototypes have been developed all over the world and the results from early experiments are becoming available. This paper provides a review of the different technologies that have been conceived to harvest the energy of high-altitude winds, specifically including prototypes developed by universities and companies. A classification of such systems is proposed on the basis of their general layout and architecture. The focus is set on the hardware architecture of systems that have been demonstrated and tested in real scenarios. Promising solutions that are likely to be implemented in the close future are also considered

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Section: Cablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Airborne Wind Energy Systems: A review of the technologies

Cherubini

Papini

Vertechy

et al. 2015

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews

260

167

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…For further desired properties, such as limited abrasion, UV resistance, lower water absorption, and longevity in general, the tether is treated with a special coating. This makes up around 10 % of the final weight [84].…”

Section: Onboard Mechanisms Are Consideredmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The required energy is estimated with equation (4.1), which is scaled for the required tether diameter from measured data up to 20 mm diameter from TU Chemnitz [89]. The density of the tether is assumed with 826 kg/m³ [84] resulting in a tether length of about 500 m for a tether diameter of 37.5 mm. 271 kWh of electricity are modeled with Dutch electricity mix from ecoinvent database.…”

Section: Onboard Mechanisms Are Consideredmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Life Cycle Assessment of Electricity Production from Airborne Wind Energy

Wilhelm¹

2018

Airborne Wind Energy

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STATUTORY DECLARATIONI declare that I have authored this thesis independently, that I have not used other than the declared sources and means. The thesis has not been submitted to any other examining body and has not been published.Hamburg, 03 August 2015 VI VII Global energy supply is closely linked with some of the greatest challenges of our society. A rising demand has to be met whereas conventional energy sources are depleting and emit considerable amounts of greenhouse gases. Renewable energy technologies are increasingly promoted to face these issues, especially in the electricity industry. Research has shown, that renewables are superior to conventional energy technologies in many environmental aspects but are not free of burdens. However, the main causes of impacts are shifted to other life cycle phases than operation. The emerging of airborne wind energy (AWE), as a new stakeholder within the renewables, presents an ecologically promising option since it accesses wind resources of outstanding quality with little material consumption. As of now, there is no environmental assessment of this new technology available.The goals of this study are (1) the determination of environmental burden of electricity generation with AWE on the categories global warming and consumption of energy resources, (2) the identification of main contributors to these categories, (3) the determination of the energy payback time and (4) an assessment whether use of this technology would lower impact of electricity supply in the mentioned categories. An AWE design is chosen for the investigations, which appears possible to become a dominating design. Even though uncertainties arise from the analysis of a specific design, the outcomes of the study could serve as a first reference for system developers and for decision-makers to evaluate support or engagement in this technology.To this end, a life cycle assessment (LCA) was executed, which allows tracking of category indicators from cradle to grave. Specific AWE facilities of 1.8 MW were defined and analyzed in a 300 MW plant under low wind conditions. The modeling follows an estimated dominating design or conservative choices. The results are expected to be on the upper range. The results of the model are presented and discussed and checked for robustness in a sensitivity study. A comparison to a similar conventional wind power plant and the electricity grid mix allows a better classification of the results.The category indicator result in global warming potential (GWP) is 5.611 gCO2-eq./kWh. 65 % of that occur in the phase raw material and manufacturing, 3 % during installation, 28 % during operation and 4 % in disposal. The cumulated energy demand (CED) is 75.2 kJ-eq./kWh. The invested energy during the entire life cycle is 2.1 % of the total generated electricity and is recovered after 5 months or 153 days of operation. This corresponds with an energy yield ratio of 48%. The tether accounts for 5.5 and 8.1 % in GWP and CED, including its replacements. Lower lifetimes have signific...

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“…In the brake‐line zero position, the control lines are very lightly loaded, with increasing tension as the deflection increases. To minimize airborne weight, extremely high strength‐to‐weight ratio polymers such as Dyneema braided rope (Bosman, Reid, Vlasblom, & Smeets, ) are used in the kite rigging lines and main tether. Figure illustrates the basic operation of the brake lines on a parafoil kite.…”

Section: System Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development and Testing of a Control System for the Automatic Flight of Tethered Parafoils

Coleman

Ahmad

Toal

2016

Journal of Field Robotics

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This paper presents the design and testing of a control system for the robotic flight of tethered kites. The use of tethered kites as a prime mover in airborne wind energy is undergoing active research in several quarters. There also exist several additional applications for the remote or autonomous control of tethered kites, such as aerial sensor and communications platforms. The system presented is a distributed control system consisting of three primary components: an instrumented tethered kite, a kite control pod, and a ground control and power takeoff station. A detailed description of these constituent parts is provided, with design considerations and constraints outlined. Flight tests of the system have been carried out, and a range of results and system performance data from these are presented and discussed. C

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Airborne Wind Energy Tethers with High-Modulus Polyethylene Fibers

Cited by 24 publications

References 3 publications

Airborne Wind Energy Systems: A review of the technologies

Airborne Wind Energy Systems: A review of the technologies

Life Cycle Assessment of Electricity Production from Airborne Wind Energy

Development and Testing of a Control System for the Automatic Flight of Tethered Parafoils

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