Category: Wind
-
Fast aerodynamic model for rotor sails in wind-assisted ship propulsion
The maritime industry is increasingly adopting innovative technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve the energy efficiency of commercial vessels. Among the most promising solutions is Wind-Assisted Ship Propulsion (WASP), with Flettner rotors (rotor sails) emerging as one of the leading technologies for harnessing wind energy to support ship propulsion. Rotor sails generate aerodynamic…
-
Wind Tunnel Testing of Iced Conductor Bundles for Galloping Assessment
Background and Motivation Galloping is a large-amplitude, low-frequency aeroelastic instability that may develop on overhead transmission lines under specific combinations of wind conditions and ice accretion. Accurate prediction of galloping requires reliable aerodynamic data, including force coefficients and flutter derivatives, which strongly depend on the geometry of the ice accretion and the conductor bundle configuration.…
-
Estimation of Extreme Wind Speeds from Airport Anemometer Records and Comparison with Code-Based Design Values
This thesis aims to investigate the consistency between code-prescribed wind speeds and those derived from measured wind records.
-
Shaping the Flow: CFD Modeling of Louvered Envelopes for High-Rise Buildings
The use of louvers as building cladding offers a promising approach to actively modify the flow around high-rise structures. Through their directional effect, they can significantly influence the local flow topology and the overall aerodynamic response of the building. The aim of this work is to numerically investigate the aerodynamic impact of a louvered envelope…
-
Multi-Objective Control Synthesis for Floating Wind Turbines
We are looking for a motivated and passionate student to contribute to our research in the field of wind energy and to work on a topic with strong scientific and industrial relevance. Floating wind turbines are complex systems, in which aerodynamics, hydrodynamics, structural dynamics, and control systems are strongly coupled. This multi-physics interaction makes the…
-
CFD Modeling for peak pressure assessment on buildings
We are looking for a passionate student to contribute to our research in the field of Computational Wind Engineering. The selected candidate will work on exploring the feasibility of assessing the peak pressures experienced by buildings utilizing Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) techniques. This research aims to explore the performance and costs associated to high-fidelity simulations for this relevant assessment under…
-
Dynamics of an aerial cableway through a time-varying meshing finite element approach
Ropeways have been used intensively for transportation of goods and people since the early nineteenth century. To study the nonlinear effects of the forces acting on the carrying cable, and how they affect the static and dynamic behaviour of the plant, a finite element model with a time-varying mesh has been developed. The system modelling…
-
Dynamic Response of Slender Structures to Downbursts
Background and MotivationDownbursts are localized, intense downdrafts produced by convective storms that generate strong, transient, and highly non-uniform wind fields near the ground. Unlike synoptic winds, downbursts exhibit rapid temporal variation and complex spatial characteristics, posing a significant challenge to conventional wind engineering assumptions. Slender structures such as transmission towers, chimneys, masts, long-span bridges, and…