Overview
Oceanbird is developing rigid wing sails to reduce fuel consumption on commercial vessels by harnessing wind energy. Accurate measurement of the apparent wind angle and resulting Angle-of-Attack (AoA) is critical for sail efficiency. AoA determines lift and efficiency; exceeding critical AoA causes stall and drag. However, onboard anemometers often suffer from turbulence and installation errors, requiring robust calibration. Traditional calibration methods (e.g., wind tunnels) are impractical at sea. Tell-tales have traditionally been used by sailors to get qualitative idea about the local airflow. So, we would like to explore the practicality of using these low-cost devices, combined with other hardware and software tools for quantitative measurements as well, this project being one example of such an approach.
Objective
This thesis aims to develop a hardware and software suite to capture and process images from multiple cameras, of tell-tales on the wing, ideally in real time. By correlating the observed tell-tale behavior with the wing’s operational data, the project will develop a methodology to detect the AoA and derive a calibration factor for the anemometer’s apparent wind angle measurements
Research Platform
There is possibility to conduct actual measurements on Oceanbird’s 40 m tall land-based prototype in Landskrona, Sweden. But the important deliverable would be a technical feasibility study conducted on either simulation or a scaled model.
Skills
We are looking for a driven student with strong research mindset, with ability to design experiments, analyze results, document and iterate solutions. It is beneficial to have strong software skills, with focus on machine vision, and basic understanding of aerodynamics or a strong will to learn the above. It is possible to tweak the proposal and objectives to align with your interests and your degree requirements.
Contact
Akash Singh, Control System Engineer, akash.singh@theoceanbird.com