Spoiler-Integrated Micro-Wind-Turbine Array for Energy Harvesting

Aircraft missions entail substantial losses of kinetic and potential energy, typically dissipated as heat or drag. Energy balance calculations for a typical airliner show that during the landing phase, drag devices experience the largest energy sink. In this study, we quantify these losses using energy balance equations and propose the integration of a micro wind turbine (MWT) array on the spoiler surfaces to recover a fraction of the wasted kinetic energy without degrading aerodynamic braking efficacy. The concept is evaluated experimentally assessing both aerodynamic performance and power recovery potential to find actual Cp and incremental drag with design selection of gearbox ratios, generator matching, airfoil blade selection, pitch control, and deployable door mechanisms. The experimental results indicate that the MWT operating at its designed tip speed ratio of 4, is capable of producing 9.04 W of power at a wind speed of 10 m/s. These findings demonstrate that spoiler mounted turbines can serve as a viable supplemental power source. Moreover, the results provide design guidelines that can inform future developments in aircraft energy harvesting technologies.