Performance measurement of a 50-square-meter kite set-up on a 13-meter trawler

Abstract

This paper describes an on board measurement campaign held in Grande-Rivière, Gaspésie, Province of Québec, Canada, in October 2015, involving a 13-meter trawler equipped with a 50-square-meter kite. The aim of the campaign was to access the boat performance when the kite is used for auxiliary propulsion. To achieve this purpose, in addition to the kite control system, a set of sensors was installed. During the trials, runs with kite in static flight were done, with around 12 knots of true wind speed. The data post processing is presented in this paper, and allows an estimate of the lift coefficient and the lift to drag ratio of the kite and the tethers. The collected data are consistent with other experimental data published.