Faculty Publications
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Item Laboratory-Scale Airborne Wind Energy Conversion Emulator Using OPAL-RT Real-Time Simulator(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), 2023) Kumar, P.; Kashyap, Y.; Castelino, R.V.; Karthikeyan, A.; Sharma K, M.; Karmakar, D.; Kosmopoulos, P.Airborne wind energy systems (AWES) are more efficient than traditional wind turbines because they can capture higher wind speeds at higher altitudes using connected kite generators. Securing a real wind turbine or a site with favorable wind conditions is not always an assured opportunity for conducting research. Hence, the Research and Development of the Laboratory Scale Airborne Wind Energy Conversion System (LAWECS) require a better understanding of airborne wind turbine dynamics and emulation. Therefore, an airborne wind turbine emulation system was designed, implemented, simulated, and experimentally tested with ground data for the real time simulation. The speed and torque of a permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) connected to a kite are regulated to maximize wind energy harvesting. A field-oriented control technique is then used to control the PMSM’s torque, while a three-phase power inverter is utilized to drive the PMSM with PI controllers in a closed loop. The proposed framework was tested, and the emulated airborne wind energy conversion system results were proven experimentally for different wind speeds and generator loads. Further, the LAWECS emulator simulated a 2 kW, 20 kW, and 60 kW designed with a projected kite area of 5, 25, and 70 square meters, respectively. This system was simulated using the Matlab/Simulink software and tested with the experimental data. Furthermore, the evaluation of the proposed framework is validated using a real-time hardware-in-the-loop environment, which uses the FPGA-based OPAL-RT Simulator. © 2023 by the authors.Item Design and development of a ground-based kite steer controller for kite-based wind power generation(Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2025) Castelino, R.V.; Kumar, P.; Kashyap, Y.Kite Power Systems, a class of Airborne Wind Energy Systems (AWES), are capable of harvesting high-altitude wind energy using tethered kites, offering substantial material and efficiency advantages over traditional wind turbines. This paper introduces a novel ground-based Kite Steer Controller (KSC), pivotal for optimizing kite trajectory and power generation. The proposed KSC incorporates a Roll-Pitch-Zone control method, enabling precise steering in figure-of-eight trajectories while maintaining operational efficiency under varying wind conditions, including turbulence. Unlike prior approaches, this study emphasizes a detailed force analysis of control lines, revealing that control forces account for 23% of total aerodynamic forces, and the KSC consumes only 20% of the total power generated during a cycle. Experimental field tests with a 12 m2 Leading Edge Inflatable kite validate the system’s performance, demonstrating robust control capabilities under both steady and turbulent winds. This research advances global efforts in renewable airborne wind energy by presenting a scalable, energy-efficient solution for autonomous kite control, addressing critical challenges in AWES design and deployment. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2025.