An Indian-origin student in the US has simplified a century-old math problem in aerodynamics, opening new possibilities in wind turbine design that Hermann Glauert, a British aerodynamicist and the original author, did not consider.   

Divya Tyagi, pursuing a Master of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering at the Pennsylvania State University completed this work as a Penn State undergraduate for her Schreyer Honors College thesis. Her research was published in Wind Energy Science.

“I created an addendum to Glauert’s problem which determines the optimal aerodynamic performance of a wind turbine by solving for the ideal flow conditions for a turbine to maximise its power output,” said Tyagi.

“Her adviser, Sven Schmitz, the Boeing/AD Welliver Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering and co-author on the paper, said Glauert’s original work focused exclusively on the maximum attainable power coefficient, which measures how efficiently a turbine converts wind energy into electricity. However, Glauert did not account for the total force and moment coefficients acting on the rotor — the spinning unit with attached blades — or how turbine blades bend under wind pressure,” the Penn State website.

Way ahead

According to Tyagi, her work is a step toward improving wind energy production and reducing costs.   

“Improving the power coefficient of a large wind turbine by just 1% has significant impacts on the energy production of a turbine, and that translates towards the other coefficients that we derived relations for,” she said. "A 1% improvement in power coefficient could notably increase a turbine’s energy output, potentially powering an entire neighbourhood.” 

Her US Navy-supported research aims to improve flight simulation and pilot safety by better understanding these dynamic interactions.