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Analysis of a kite anemometer. Final report

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5417476· OSTI ID:5417476
Equations of motion for a rigid, tailless kite and tether system are derived from free body diagrams. A direct, analytical solution of these equations provides tether tension in a steady wind. Numerical solutions of linearized equations of motion provide the kite tether tension in a transient, turbulent wind field. A similar analysis is applied to a kite-tail-tether system. The results of these analyses show that line tension at the ground anchor is within a few percent of tether tension at the kite. Wind shear does not significantly affect line tension. Thus the tethered kite anemometer can measure height-dependent wind fields based on steady-state, uniform wind calibrations. Unsteady winds also have an insignificant effect on the tether if gust amplitude and frequency are such that tether accelerations are below 9.8m/s/sup 2/. In a variable wind, tether tension is in phase with wind variations. Tension amplitude is dependent on the magnitude and frequency of wind variations.
Research Organization:
FWG Associates, Inc., Tullahoma, TN (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
AC06-76ET20242
OSTI ID:
5417476
Report Number(s):
DOE/ET/20242-81/2; ON: DE82009058
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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