The WindShaper officially inaugurated!

On Friday, September 11, the team of Philippe Chatelain and Denis-Gabriel Caprace officially inaugurated the WindShaper.

The event brought together representatives from UCLouvain, researchers and collaborators from several universities in Wallonia, Flanders and Brussels, as well as industry representatives from the wind energy sector.  The Vice-Rector for Research and the Vice-Rector for International Relations were also present to discover this new facility and the research it will enable at iMMC.

Following a presentation of the facility and its capabilities, participants attended an experimental demonstration: Julien Dandoy, a PhD candidate at iMMC, showcased the operation of a wind turbine he developed in collaboration with the von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics (VKI). The WindShaper allows him to study the behaviour of this wind turbine under different flow conditions and compare its performance with that observed in a traditional wind tunnel. Additionally, Joséphine Civilio ran a short test using the aircraft model she used during her Master’s thesis. 

Several research projects are currently being carried out thanks to this facility. The work of Professor Philippe Chatelain focuses in particular on wind turbine wakes and their interactions with other machines. Denis-Gabriel Caprace, meanwhile, is studying the interactions between helicopter rotors and turbulence. Other research projects involve drones, aircraft, and photovoltaic panels.

The inauguration provided an opportunity to showcase how this new facility can concretely bridge research, education and innovation, while also opening up opportunities for collaboration with industry.