Numerical Study on Auxiliary Propulsion Performance of Foldable Three-Element Wingsail Utilizing Wind Energy

Sail-assisted propulsion is an important energy-saving technology in the shipping industry, and the development of foldable wingsails has recently become a hot topic. This type of sail is usually composed of multiple elements, and its performance at different folding configurations is very sensitive...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inEnergies (Basel) Vol. 17; no. 15; p. 3833
Main Authors Jiang, Yongxu, Cao, Chenze, Cui, Ting, Yang, Hao, Tian, Zhengjun
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 01.08.2024
Subjects
Analysis
apparent wind angle
camber
Design
Energy consumption
Finite volume method
Geometry
Simulation
thrust coefficient
Turbulence models
Wind power
wingsail
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Summary:Sail-assisted propulsion is an important energy-saving technology in the shipping industry, and the development of foldable wingsails has recently become a hot topic. This type of sail is usually composed of multiple elements, and its performance at different folding configurations is very sensitive to changes in incoming airflow, which result in practical operational challenges. Therefore, original and optimized three-element wingsails (bare and concave) are modeled and simulated using the unsteady RANS method with the k-ω SST turbulence model. Next, certain key design and structural parameters (such as angle of attack, apparent wind angle, and camber) are employed to characterize the auxiliary propulsion performance, and the differences are explained in combination with the flow field details. The results show that, in the unfolded state, the aerodynamic performance of the concave wingsail is better than that of the bare wingsail, exhibiting higher lift coefficients, lower drag coefficients, and a more stable surface flow. In the fully folded state, wherein both the nose and flap are rotated, the thrust performance of the concave wingsail remains superior. Specifically, at an angle of attack of 8 degrees, the thrust coefficient of the concave wingsail is approximately 23.5% higher than that of the bare wingsail, indicating improved wind energy utilization. The research results are of great significance for engineering applications and subsequent optimization design.
ISSN:1996-1073
1996-1073
DOI:10.3390/en17153833