Biomimetics (Whale bumps on fins)

Ze ming (155052J)

For over a decade, the concept of biomimetic has swept the world, holding the key to solving
many of our intractable human problems. In our planet, it's hard to imagine how man-made
material and design will fit as elegantly as how nature does. What is biomimetic? Biomimetic
is simply imitating the nature best ideas and imitates these properties into our daily use .For
example, by imitating gecko having the ability walking up walls, humans have come up with
gecko skin gloves to allow the user to scale walls. Just like how spiderman does.

Wind turbines have always been having issues with efficiency. As seen from this image.
Only 59.3% of the wind energy is converted to usable energy, leaving over 40.7% being
unconverted. And out of the 59.3%, only 70% of the wind energy is converted into electricity.
In summary, only 41.5% of the total wind energy is converted into electricity. Furthermore,
this is also affected by the wind speed and type of blade the turbine used. The faster the
wind speed is, the lower the efficiency.

Efficiency of a wind turbine Amount of turbine needed. Can it be

reduced. But still have the same amount
of energy?

Type of wind turbine blade and its efficiency A graph showing a wind turbine
(Vestas V90) efficiency at different speed
However, thanks to biomimetics, this might not be a problem anymore. Whales have been
swimming in the ocean for a very long time, sustaining their size by eating what they can
see. With its huge size, how did whales able to catch its prey? This is actually possible due
to its bumps in its fins. The bumps on its fins is able to give it a hydrodynamic advantage,
increasing its efficiency, reducing drag by up to 32% and increasing lift by 8%. Allowing them
to catch their preys before they even knew what was coming. In 2004, a study done by
various scientists from Duke University, West Chester University and the U.S. Naval
Academy has shown that by having bumps in its fins, it is able to produce more power in low
fluid speed, quiet and in turbulent fluid stream, it will perform much better as compared to
having a plain edge fin. This helps whales to catch its prey easily, quickly and quietly.

Bumps on whale fins Bumps on wind turbine

WhalePower, a company based in Toronto,Ontario,Canada, founded by Dr. Frank E. Fish

and Phil Watt, a scientist from the research, invented and patent the invention of having
bumps on turbine blade. Several tests and experiments were done on the turbine blades in a
wind testing facility. Result from the experiment has shown that by having bumps on its
fins(blades), it has the ability to channel air into smaller area of the blade,resulting in a much
higher wind speed. Furthermore, the bumps eliminate the likelihood of air running down the
fins edge and flying off from the tip of the fins. This will help to reduce noise, increased in
efficiency(up to 20%) and increased in its stability.This technology can actually be applied for
many various applications. Not limited to just wind turbine blades but also for cooling fans,
airplane wings and propellers. However it is still in testing stage and not commercially
available at the moment. Good news is, some of their product for industrial and agricultural
use is now commercialize and it's available in public today.

Quote from WhalePower FAQ on the status of the product

(https://whalepowercorp.wordpress.com/faq/)

Q. Is WhalePower Technology commercially available today?

A: “ Yes. WhalePower has partnered with EnviraNorth Systems Ltd., a manufacturer of industrial and
agricultural fans. Together the two corporations have created a Tubercle Technology HVLS (High
Volume Low Speed) fan which is now available for purchase from EnviraNorth Systems Ltd. and its
various distributors”
 Bumps on cooling fans for desktop to increase efficiency

Biomimetics is able to solve many of our human problems. It is surprising how nature can
bring so much into our lives. They have been on earth, much, much longer than we humans
do, hopefully, with their help, will teach us how to live in our home.

References
http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/wilderness-resources/photos/7-amazing-
examples-of-biomimicry/whale-turbine
https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-most-efficient-design-for-a-wind-turbine
http://www.ftexploring.com/energy/wind-enrgy.html
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/409710/whale-inspired-wind-
turbines/#comments
http://newatlas.com/bumpy-whale-fins-set-to-spark-a-revolution-in-
aerodynamics/9020/
https://whalepowercorp.wordpress.com/faq/