dialogue

studentwise: Wind Wins

Engineering this wind energy source might someday help communities in rural and hard-to-access environments. Josh Vandervelde ’23 and Jacob Sherman ’25, under the guidance of I.V. Williamson Professor of Engineering Carr Everbach, advanced a multi-year effort to design, develop, and deploy an original Airborne Wind Energy (AWE) system to further research into this novel renewable energy sector.
by Ryan Dougherty
Two students wearing green "Swarthmore College Engineering" t-shirts smile at the camera while holding their invention. It's a wire frame shaped like the wings of a plane.
laurence kesterson
Josh Vandervelde ’23 (left) and Jacob Sherman ’25 advanced a multi-year effort to design, develop, and deploy an original Airborne Wind Energy system.
Why Airborne Wind Energy? AWE systems refer to flying platforms that convert the energy in moving wind to usable power in the form of electricity. From traditional wind turbines placed inside lighter-than-air bodies to rigid wings that harvest energy by flying in aerial loops, these systems have evolved into a variety of forms. The AWE system is predicated on a wing-shaped kite that pulls a cord attached to a ground-based electric generator, much as a rowing machine might.
What They Did: The students worked to bring the theoretical concept of an “inverting kite” to reality. Proposed and researched by Vandervelde, the idea would allow the AWE kite to save time and energy during a portion of energy production compared to existing designs. They investigated how the geometry of three relevant angles of a flying wing (dihedral, sweep, and taper) can increase the kite’s passive stability in flight. The work centered on building a large wind tunnel — “a glorified wall of fans,” says Vandervelde.
Fresh Approaches: The new wind tunnel consists of 16 identical hexagonal modules stacked upon one another to direct airflow into a designated testing area. After completing the structure this summer, the students shifted gears to design a setup to test the aerodynamic stability of a kite with different wing angles. Their first model, a single kite with adjustable wings, proved too ambitious; the copious number of 3D printed supports and carbon fiber rods made it too heavy for reliable measurement. So they developed a lighter version with interchangeable segments to test the wing variables.
Lab Time: Quetin Millette ’20 led the project in 2019 and passed it on to Daniel Curtis ’21 and Vandervelde. Vandervelde continued working on it for the past two years, with aid from William Hoganson ’22. Sherman joined this summer.
Providing Support: In addition to previous efforts of engineering alumni, the project was supported by funding from the Department of Engineering, the Center for Innovation and Leadership, and the College’s MakerSpace.
Working Collaboratively: “It is a pleasure to have students who can take an idea and really fly with it,” says Everbach. “I feel like I’m watching the Wright brothers build their open wind tunnel prior to Kitty Hawk.”
Looking Ahead: While analysis of aerodynamic stability from dihedral, sweep, and taper angles is not new, little had been done to examine the stability of a tethered flying wing. The students intend to develop a kite design that will work in the future, possibly to assist Native Nations with improving their energy independence, hoping to inspire future engineers at Swarthmore.

studentwise: Wind Wins

Engineering this wind energy source might someday help communities in rural and hard-to-access environments. Josh Vandervelde ’23 and Jacob Sherman ’25, under the guidance of I.V. Williamson Professor of Engineering Carr Everbach, advanced a multi-year effort to design, develop, and deploy an original Airborne Wind Energy (AWE) system to further research into this novel renewable energy sector.
by Ryan Dougherty
Two students wearing green "Swarthmore College Engineering" t-shirts smile at the camera while holding their invention. It's a wire frame shaped like the wings of a plane.
laurence kesterson
Josh Vandervelde ’23 (left) and Jacob Sherman ’25 advanced a multi-year effort to design, develop, and deploy an original Airborne Wind Energy system.
Why Airborne Wind Energy? AWE systems refer to flying platforms that convert the energy in moving wind to usable power in the form of electricity. From traditional wind turbines placed inside lighter-than-air bodies to rigid wings that harvest energy by flying in aerial loops, these systems have evolved into a variety of forms. The AWE system is predicated on a wing-shaped kite that pulls a cord attached to a ground-based electric generator, much as a rowing machine might.
What They Did: The students worked to bring the theoretical concept of an “inverting kite” to reality. Proposed and researched by Vandervelde, the idea would allow the AWE kite to save time and energy during a portion of energy production compared to existing designs. They investigated how the geometry of three relevant angles of a flying wing (dihedral, sweep, and taper) can increase the kite’s passive stability in flight. The work centered on building a large wind tunnel — “a glorified wall of fans,” says Vandervelde.
Fresh Approaches: The new wind tunnel consists of 16 identical hexagonal modules stacked upon one another to direct airflow into a designated testing area. After completing the structure this summer, the students shifted gears to design a setup to test the aerodynamic stability of a kite with different wing angles. Their first model, a single kite with adjustable wings, proved too ambitious; the copious number of 3D printed supports and carbon fiber rods made it too heavy for reliable measurement. So they developed a lighter version with interchangeable segments to test the wing variables.
Lab Time: Quetin Millette ’20 led the project in 2019 and passed it on to Daniel Curtis ’21 and Vandervelde. Vandervelde continued working on it for the past two years, with aid from William Hoganson ’22. Sherman joined this summer.
Providing Support: In addition to previous efforts of engineering alumni, the project was supported by funding from the Department of Engineering, the Center for Innovation and Leadership, and the College’s MakerSpace.
Working Collaboratively: “It is a pleasure to have students who can take an idea and really fly with it,” says Everbach. “I feel like I’m watching the Wright brothers build their open wind tunnel prior to Kitty Hawk.”
Looking Ahead: While analysis of aerodynamic stability from dihedral, sweep, and taper angles is not new, little had been done to examine the stability of a tethered flying wing. The students intend to develop a kite design that will work in the future, possibly to assist Native Nations with improving their energy independence, hoping to inspire future engineers at Swarthmore.
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