By Anupum Pant
In a fluid (air in this case), when there is a blunt object obstructing the flow, there is a beautiful and dangerous pattern of turbulence created behind the blunt object. It’s called the Von Karman vortex street. And it has been considered a problem in civil engineering because it has caused failure of many designs of bridges and high-rises.
But a company from Spain, vortex bladeless has vowed to utilize this effect to create a technology for a more efficient production of wind energy than the traditional windmill.
Engineers at Vortex Bladeless have designed a turbine to take advantage of this effect. The design consists of a thin, cone-shaped turbine which is made of carbon fiber. It has a motor at the bottom instead of the top (like traditional turbines) to improve sturdiness.