Technology Overview

The KuttaFoil wavy wing/blade configuration provides an innovative solution to the market need to improve the efficiency and reduce noise characteristics of fans, propellers, rotors and turbines. KuttaFoil delivers improved efficiency and reduced noise by the use of spanwise waviness of the wings/blades which can take several forms to suit the application. Based on research at the University of Adelaide to date, efficiency gains of up to 20% could be expected, with reduction in tonal noise up to 32dB at one tonal frequency and 8 dB in broadband noise.

The wavy-wing technology is one that was inspired by nature, biomimetic in its basis, but informed by theory and inventively improved and perfected by experiment. KuttaFoil has the potential to change the way we think about and build aerodynamic lifting surfaces. The waviness can take several forms and may include variations in the angle of attack, mean curvature or leading edge sweep, or a combination thereof. This family of modifications leads to delayed stall, increased lift, decreased drag and decreased aerodynamic noise; aerodynamic features that have been the focus of thousands of researchers over the last century.

The economic and social impacts of this invention are quite profound, including the practical greentech goal of reducing energy consumption for all types of fans in transport, home and industry, and in the reduction in aerodynamic noise produced by fans of all sizes and types. Both are environmental goals, as noise is one of the more subtle forms of pollution. The technology also offers the possibility of reducing the cost of fabrication of fan blades in many situations, allowing efficient blades to be fabricated from sheet metal rather than from expensive casting processes. Suitable applications of wavy wing/blade configuration are aircraft and water craft of any size, wind and water turbines, racing car lifting surfaces, submarines, yachts, ships, fans, HVAC turning vanes, gas turbine rotors and stators, surfboards, bicycle frames and components, and aeronautical applications where short take-off or landing at slower speed is needed.

Applications

Consumer applications such as CPU cooling fans, ceiling fans, automotive ventilation fans
Industrial applications such as industrial fans, air moving fans, HVAC turning vanes, exhaust fans
Energy applications such as wind turbines, water turbines, gas turbine rotors and stators
Sports applications such as surfboards, windsurfers, waveriders, paragliders, race car lifting surfaces and bicycle frames and components
Defence applications such as submarine lifting and control surfaces, ship lifting and control surfaces, UAVs and high manoeuvrability aircraft
Aircraft applications such as aircraft lifting surfaces and helicopter blades

Opportunity

Seeking expressions of interest and enquiries from development partners and/or prospective licensees in any of the above fields of application.

Smart and Efficient Fans, Propellers, Rotors and Turbines Using KuttaFoil Energy Efficient Wavy Wing and Blade Technology

Patents

IP Status

Seeking