Crosswind Power Kite Shared Runway Launch System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing crosswind power kite systems face impractical launching and landing methods, which impose configuration penalties on the kite and ground support hardware, limiting the size and efficiency of wind harvesting operations.
Innovation Solution
A shared runway system is used for launching and recovering crosswind power kites, allowing for conventional aircraft-like operations, with a fleet of kites tethered to ground anchor assemblies and serviced by shared launch and transport vehicles, enabling efficient electric power generation while keeping the power generation location geographically separate from the kite's tether.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If hand-thrown launching method is used for small crosswind power kites, then the kite can be launched without complex equipment, but the size and weight of the kite are limited and geographic area requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
A shared runway system acts as an intermediary between the ground and the kite, providing a dedicated launch surface that enables larger kites to be launched without requiring hand-throwing. The runway serves as a mediator that transfers the launching function from human muscle power to a standardized infrastructure, allowing kites of any size to use the same launch mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The launching system is segmented into separate functional components: a shared runway for launch, a tether system for power transmission, and a ground support vehicle for recovery. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, with the runway dedicated to launch operations and the ground vehicle handling recovery, thereby enabling larger kite designs.
2Ease of manufacture
If fabric kite crash landing method is used, then the kite can be landed without complex equipment, but the geographic area required increases and kite size is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The shared runway serves as an intermediary structure that enables controlled landing of large kites without requiring vast open areas. Instead of crash-landing in obstacle-free zones, the runway provides a designated surface that mediates between the kite's landing needs and space constraints, allowing safe recovery in confined geographic areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The ground support vehicle provides self-service recovery by autonomously or manually retrieving the tether and kite after landing. This eliminates the need for complex automated landing systems on the kite itself, while still enabling controlled recovery in limited space by having the vehicle handle the post-landing operations.
3Ease of operation
If hover launching and landing with motor/rotor assemblies is used, then the kite can be launched and landed controlled, but the motor/rotor assemblies and tether must be sized large enough to sustain hovering flight causing configuration penalties
Solution Approach 1:
The hover control function is extracted from the kite's motor/rotor assembly and transferred to the shared runway system. The runway provides the controlled launch environment, eliminating the need for the kite to carry oversized motors capable of sustaining hover. The motor/rotor assembly is reduced to only the power generation function during flight, removing the configuration penalty of dual-purpose sizing.
Solution Approach 2:
The functions of launch control, power generation, and recovery are segmented into separate systems: the shared runway handles launch and landing control, the tether transmits power, and the kite's motor/rotor assembly is dedicated solely to power generation during flight. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function without the configuration compromises required by multi-function designs.
4Ease of operation
If tow/catapult launching with dedicated runway and deceleration device is used, then the kite can be launched and landed with connected tether, but the system becomes too expensive and complex
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple kites share a single runway and ground support vehicle, merging what would otherwise be dedicated resources for each kite. This consolidation reduces the overall system complexity and cost by having one runway serve multiple kites and one ground vehicle handle recovery for the entire fleet, rather than each kite requiring its own dedicated infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The shared runway and ground support vehicle are designed as universal systems that can service multiple different kites. The runway provides a standardized launch surface that accommodates various kite designs, and the ground vehicle can recover any kite in the fleet, creating a multi-functional platform that reduces complexity compared to dedicated single-kite systems.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach allows for efficient and scalable wind harvesting by enabling larger kite sizes and reducing complexity and cost, as kites can be launched and landed on a shared runway, resembling conventional aircraft operations, thus enhancing the overall efficiency and practicality of wind energy generation.
Implementation Method 1
a low-drag/high-lift kite configuration
Implementation Method 2
a low-drag/high-lift kite configuration
Implementation Method 3
generating electricity through such flights
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3
AI summary
Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide wind harvesting systems and methods using crosswind power kites and methods for launching crosswind power kites into wing-borne flight, for generating electricity through such flights, and for landing or retrieving such crosswind power kites.