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608 views2 pages

Dictionary Week1a

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api-258192402
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© © All Rights Reserved
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WhalePower

What do humpback whales have to do with wind turbines and fan blades?






The Bioinspiration story:
A humpback whale sculpture led to this bioinspired discovery. Dr. Frank E. Fish, the director of Liquid Life Lab at West
Chester University, was shopping for a gift and commented that a sculpture of a humpbacked whale had the bumps on
the wrong side of the flipper. When the shopkeeper showed him the sculpture was correct, he began work on the
biomechanics of how animals swim. After multiple research awards, grants, and help from Dr. Phil Watts and Dr. Laurens
E. Howle, a patent for the technology was granted and Tubercle Technology was formed.















William Rosettier

The initial problems with wind turbines:
Wind turbines must endure constant wind changes, so they were designed first to be stable, second to produce energy.
Stronger winds could mean the shut down of a turbine to prevent damage, or the use of heavier blades that perform
poorly in moderate winds. The result is a less efficient turbine system. Some of these issues have been addressed by
changing the pitch, or angle, of the turbine blade. For example, a higher pitch is used at lower wind speeds. However, if
the blade is pitched too steeply, it can stall, which is like a brake in the system. The optimal pitch and the everyday
safety regulations did not allow for the highest performance of the wind turbine. The overall summary, poor
performance in low winds.

The Biology of Humpback Whale fins:
Humpback whales are excellent, agile swimmers due to large round tubercles on the leading edge of their flippers. These
large bumps improve both performance and maneuverability. The discovery of these tubercles changed some of the
thought of fluid dynamics.

Oxford Jourrnal The Tubercles on Humpback Whales Flippers: Application of Bio-Inspired Technology

Three major limitations of Wind Turbines solved through bioinspiration by Whalepower::
1. Wind turbines are not reliable with no or small winds.
2. Wind turbines can be noisey, especially tip chatter caused by tip stalling.
3. Wind turbines have poor performance in turbulent air.



The answer by Whalepower:
Whale power developed tubercle technology from the bioinspiration of the whale fin. They added tubercles, like those
on the leading (front) edge of the fins of whales. To mimic the whale, they put tubercles on the front edge of the turbine
blades. This allows for the following aerodynamic improvements:
1. Airfoils have a better stable lift.
2. Blades can have a high pitch but low drag.
3. An improved pitch angle can be used without stall.
4. Overall stability of the turbines is improved with a greater range of pitch and less stalling, therefore greatly
improving low speed wind performance.
WhalePower Building the Energy Future on a Million Years of Field Tests
Whalepower Corporation New Website, Collection of Press Articles

The Product:
After initial testing by WhalePower, the turbines performed even better than expected. They increased power at low
wind speeds, were more stable at changing conditions and turbulence, and operated much quieter than the traditional
blades. In the most recent news from 2011, OppGreen Insights interviewed WhalePower VP of marketing for some of
the latest breakthroughs. The company was planning small wind turbines in 2012 and 2013 with larger models to follow.
They would like their tubercle blades to replace blades on large wind turbines as they are replaced for regular
maintenance. However, this can only happen after significant testing and certification of the blades.









WhalePower Fan Blade (AskNature.org)

The first marketable product was a low speed high volume industrial fan marketed by Envira-North Systems. They have
now been used for outdoor theaters, and in the dairy industry. They hope that all fan blades will someday be like theirs,
from car engines to computer laptops. http://www.enviranorth.com/

Video url https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=sSV604TZRjk
OppGreen Insights A Whale of Design: WhalePower Bumps Into Engineering Innovation

Bioinspiration:
I thnk this is a great example of Bioinspiration. It is not an exact copy of the fin for the exact same purpose to represent
biomimicry. This seems to be a great idea and technological advance that can both produce more energy from the wind
turbines and also save energy in other types of fans. I hope to see these tubercle blades in the stores soon! I did have
difficulty finding anything past 2011. Their corporation website and Facebook pages have not been updated.

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