Whales and dolphins influence new wind turbine design

by whitesideddolphin | July 8, 2008 at 08:13 am | 621 views | 12 comments

Sea creatures have evolved over millions of years to maximise efficiency of movement through water; humans have been trying to perfect streamlined designs for barely a century. So shouldn't we be taking more notice of the experts? Biologists and engineers from across the US have been doing just that. By studying the flippers, fins and tails of whales and dolphins, these scientists have discovered some features of their structure that contradict long-held engineering theories. Dr Frank Fish (West Chester University) will talk about the exciting impact that these discoveries may have on traditional industrial designs on Tuesday 8th July at the Society for Experimental Biology's Annual Meeting in Marseille [Session A2].
Some of his observations are already being applied to real life engineering problems, a concept known as biomimetics. The shape of whale flippers with one bumpy edge has inspired the creation of a completely novel design for wind turbine blades. This design has been shown to be more efficient and also quieter, but defies traditional engineering theories. "Engineers have previously tried to ensure steady flow patterns on rigid and simple lifting surfaces, such as wings. The lesson from biomimicry is that unsteady flow and complex shapes can increase lift, reduce drag and delay 'stall', a dramatic and abrupt loss of lift, beyond what existing engineered systems can accomplish," Dr Fish advises. "There are even possibilities that this technology could be applied to aeronautical designs such as helicopter blades in the future."
The work centres on studies of vortices, tornado-shaped water formations that develop in the wake of the animals. "In the case of the humpback whale, vortices formed from tubercles (bumps) on the front edge of flippers help to generate more lift without the occurrence of stall, as well as enhancing manoeuvrability and agility," explains Dr Fish. "In the case of the tails of dolphins, vortices are formed at the end of the up and down strokes. These vortices are involved in the production of a jet in the wake of the dolphin that produces high thrust. By regulating the production of the vortices, the dolphin can maximize its efficiency while swimming."

Source : Society for Experimental Biology

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Angelsmile78

at 23:36 on July 9th, 2008

The Dolphin Watch in Puerto Princesa was really entertaining and awesome---- A must see! Our group was fortunate to see a lot of dolphins joyfully dancing around our boat. They showed us different movements and stunts. How lovely !!!!

Angelsmile78 has contributed a photo to this story.

jayrah79

at 01:24 on July 10th, 2008

Humpback Whales playing around the boat in Santa Barbara, California. There were about 6 of them this afternoon.

jayrah79 has contributed a photo to this story.

Paschen

at 03:04 on July 10th, 2008

good stuff:

whitesideddolphin, I like this story. It's good stuff. We need more such research! And follow up actions especially!

robstation

at 03:53 on July 10th, 2008

Humpbacks feeding off the Stellwagen bank, MA. June 2008

robstation has contributed a photo to this story.

paulcjones

at 07:16 on July 10th, 2008

I went on a trip to the Stellwagen bank in MA recently, and a mother and her calf were playing, jumping out of the water, buzzing the boat - it was rather spectacular to see, and I got some awesome photos.

HiCe

at 09:43 on July 10th, 2008

The above humpback whale photo was taken July 6, 2008 in Cape Cod waters just off Provincetown. This female had a calf with her and breached repeatedly for at least a half hour.

HiCe has contributed a photo to this story.

lwills24

at 17:57 on July 10th, 2008

Dolphins swim through the water like humans walk though air, so it's only natural (and smart) that engineers would study their hydrodynamics.

But while we can reverse engineer their lifting surfaces and copy their leading edges, we would do well to study their social interactions.

Dolphins hunt cooperatively in packs. One group circles beneath fish, while others plunge upward, mouths agape, though the tightly-balled schools. All share in the catch.

Dolphins also play together. Groups including babies gather on the bulbous bows of large ships. They surf the pressure wave, swerving and leaping, their joy palpable, until they tire or become bored.

The lesson here is those that eat together and play together live life at a fundamentally higher plane than those who live in conflict with nature and themselves.

Dolphins are smarter than us.

Lance Wills

lwills24 has contributed a photo to this story.

gdcall14

at 19:49 on July 10th, 2008

On our Whale watching trip out of Santa Barbara, we were lucky enough to watch this mother and her calf breaching. It was an exciting experience. Whales are awsome.

silverheels4

at 01:43 on July 11th, 2008

Just some great photos of dolphins swimming right around and up to our boat in Florida, Naples and Ft.Myers areas......just a matter of having the camera ready to shoot instantly as the dolphins move quickly through the water.

silverheels4 has contributed a photo to this story.

silverheels4

at 00:30 on July 13th, 2008

I have now added several more Dolphin photos to my Flickr photos area

LAANLE

at 09:42 on July 15th, 2008

This was taken down at Cape Henlopen State Park, in Delaware. I was there for vacation, walking along the beach and these dolphins weren't that far off from the shore. -

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Robbo_Chicago

at 14:06 on July 18th, 2008

One of five humpback whales enjoying a capelin filled breakfast off the Avalon peninsula in Ferryland Newfoundland.

Robbo_Chicago has contributed a photo to this story.