Performance Evaluation of a Wind Turbine at High Altitudes Using an Aerostat-Based Stabilized Platform

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate and quantify wind turbine performance aloft using a field-deployable tethered aerostat test platform, combining a lightweight horizontal-axis turbine, a conical diffuser, and synchronized onboard measurements of atmospheric conditions and electrical output. The platform is designed to enable higher-altitude operation (up to ~500 m), while the results presented in this study are based on field measurements up to ~60 m. Field measurements show that the mean wind speed increased from approximately 4.6 m/s at 20 m to 6.1 m/s at 60 m, producing a corresponding rise in electrical power output from ~37 W at the lowest recorded operating point (V≈2.6 m/s) to a maximum of ~52 W at around 50 m altitude (V≈6.1 m/s), consistent with the cubic wind–power relationship. The conical diffuser was additionally assessed under comparable wind conditions (~6.1 m/s) and provided a modest gain from 50 W to 52 W (≈ 4%) for the present geometry. These results indicate that height-adjustable lighter-than-air deployment can improve energy yield in low-wind regions without tower infrastructure by leveraging the vertical wind gradient, while highlighting that diffuser benefits are measurable but limited under the tested conditions and merit further geometric optimization and repeated trials.

Keywords

• Aerostat system
• High-altitude wind energy
• Wind turbine performance
• Renewable energy

Bir Aerostat Tabanlı Stabilize Platform Kullanılarak Yüksek İrtifalarda Bir Rüzgar Türbininin Performans Değerlendirmesi

Abstract

Bu çalışma, aktif stabilizasyon sistemine sahip helyum dolu bağlı bir aerostat kullanarak yüksek irtifalarda rüzgar türbini performansının değerlendirilmesine yönelik yenilikçi bir yaklaşım sunmaktadır. Aerostat platformu, hafif bir yatay eksenli rüzgar türbinini yaklaşık 500 metreye kadar yükseltebilmekte ve böylece yer tabanlı sistemlerin erişemediği daha güçlü, daha istikrarlı ve daha az türbülanslı rüzgar akımlarından faydalanma imkânı sağlamaktadır. Güç üretim verimliliğini en üst düzeye çıkarmak amacıyla, stabilizasyon mekanizması türbinin hâkim rüzgar yönlerine sürekli olarak hizalanmasını ve atmosferik türbülans kaynaklı dinamik kararsızlıkların en aza indirilmesini sağlar. Deneysel yapılandırma, anemometreler, barometrik altimetreler, sıcaklık sensörleri ve GPS modülleri dahil olmak üzere kapsamlı bir çevresel sensör seti içermekte ve gerçek zamanlı atmosferik verilerin yüksek hassasiyetle toplanmasını sağlamaktadır. Aynı anda, elektriksel çıkış parametreleri—gerilim, akım ve buna bağlı güç—sürekli olarak kaydedilmekte ve analiz edilmektedir. Bu güçlü veri toplama yaklaşımı, farklı meteorolojik koşullar altında ayrıntılı performans değerlendirmelerine olanak tanımaktadır. Elde edilen deneysel bulgular, aerostat tabanlı platformlarla yüksek irtifalarda konuşlandırılan rüzgar türbinlerinin enerji üretim performansını önemli ölçüde artırdığını göstermekte olup, bu teknolojiyi geleneksel kule tabanlı kurulumların coğrafi veya ekonomik olarak uygulanmasının zor olduğu durumlarda umut verici bir alternatif olarak öne çıkarmaktadır

Keywords

• Aerostat sistemi
• Yüksek irtifa rüzgar enerjisi
• Rüzgar türbini performansı
• Yenilenebilir enerji

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