| Renewable Energy Options Multiply with CFD Solutions
Designers tap fluid analysis for high-performance renewable energy solutions.
by Pamela J. Waterman
CFD analysis brings its own type of power to the renewable energy push, replicating and predicting results for systems that tap the wind, rivers, oceans, sun, and fuel cells. DE takes a look at applications in each of these realms and examines why specific software has proven invaluable for success.
Capturing the Wind
Few landscapes are as surreal as that of a wind farm sporting thousands of white-bladed pylons for generating electricity. Companies that take on such building projects need to evaluate a myriad of operating factors, from evaluating blade shapes to determining just where to best site wind turbines. Blade design has traditionally been almost a hand-craft, with personal experience heavily weighting the chances for success, but now CFD software is improving both the designs themselves and the process to create them.
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