Divya Tyagi, a Pennsylvania State University aerospace engineering graduate student, refined a century-old aerodynamic problem by Hermann Glauert, making it simpler and more practical for wind turbine design. Her research, completed as part of her undergraduate thesis, was published in Wind Energy Scienceand expands on Glauert’s work by incorporating total force and moment coefficients, which he had not considered.
“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 in order to maximize its power output,” said Tyagi.
Under the guidance of Professor Sven Schmitz, Tyagi’s work enables better optimization of wind turbine efficiency using calculus of variations. Schmitz believes her findings will influence future turbine designs and be integrated into academic curricula. Tyagi’s research suggests that even a 1% improvement in power coefficient could significantly boost energy production.
“The real impact will be on the next generation of wind turbines using the new knowledge that has been unveiled,” Schmitz said. “As for Divya’s elegant solution, I think it will find its way into the classrooms, across the country and around the world.”
Her thesis earned her the Anthony E. Wolk Award, and she is now pursuing a master’s degree, focusing on computational fluid dynamics for helicopter aerodynamics in collaboration with the US Navy.
“When I thought about the Glauert problem, I thought steps were missing and it was very complicated,” Schmitz said. “There had to be an easier way to do it. That’s when Divya came in. She was the fourth student I challenged with looking at it, and she was the only one who took it on. Her work is truly impressive.”