Wake generated downstream of a vertical axis tidal turbine

Ouro, Pablo ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6411-8241 and Stoesser, Thorsten ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8874-9793 2017. Wake generated downstream of a vertical axis tidal turbine. Presented at: 12th European Wave and Tidal Energy Conference (EWTEC), Cork, Ireland, 27 August - 1 September 2017.

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Abstract

Characterising the physics involved in the wake developed downstream of vertical axis tidal stream turbines (VATTs) is a cornerstone towards understanding turbine-to- turbine interactions and thus optimise their deployment in ar- rays. The flow field developed around these devices is not exempt of complexity accentuated by complex blade-vortex interactions occurring within the blades swept perimeter. This publication analyses the flow characteristics of the near-wake behind a three- bladed VATT rotating at different rotational speeds using a highly accurate computational approach. Results of mean velocities and turbulent kinetic energy are validated with experiments and compared to other RANS-based numerical results. A great match with the experimental data is achieved outlining the suitability of the proposed numerical approach to represent the complex flow around VATTs. Results evidence that at low tip speed ratios the flow passes through the turbine rotor without major obstruction of the blades. Meanwhile, at higher speeds there is a minimum incident flow entraining within the rotor swept perimeter which induces the generation of the Magnus effect. The outcomes encourage to extend the applicability of the presented method to the future design of VATT arrays enhancing inter-turbine interaction and thus maximising power generation.

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Engineering
Subjects:	T Technology > TA Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General) T Technology > TC Hydraulic engineering. Ocean engineering
Last Modified:	13 Jan 2023 02:07
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/107012

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