Unsteady wake modelling for tidal current turbines

The authors present a numerical model for three-dimensional unsteady wake calculations for tidal turbines. Since wakes are characterised by the shedding of a vortex sheet from the rotor blades, the model is based on the vorticity transport equations. A vortex sheet may be considered a jump contact discontinuity in tangential velocity with, in inviscid hydrodynamic terms, certain kinematic and dynamic conditions across the sheet. The kinematic condition is that the sheet is a stream surface with zero normal fluid velocity; the dynamic condition is that the pressure is equal on either side of the sheet. The dynamic condition is explicitly satisfied at the trailing edge only, via an approximation of the Kutta condition. The shed vorticity is the span-wise derivative of bound circulation, and the trailed vorticity is the time derivative of bound circulation, and is convected downstream from the rotors using a finite-volume solution of vorticity transport equations thus satisfying the kinematic conditions. Owing to an absence in the literature of pressure data for marine turbines, results from the code are presented for the NREL-UAE Phase IV turbine. Axial flow cases show a close match in pressure coefficients at various spanwise stations; however, yawed flow cases demonstrate the shortcomings of a modelling strategy lacking viscosity

An unsteady hydrodynamic model for tidal current turbines

Due to concerns about the impacts of carbon emissions on the environment, the security of supply of electricity and the likelihood of achieving "peak-oil" in the near future, governments have legislated to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. An attractive alternative is power obtained from tidal currents, and the coast of the British Isles is especially hydraulically active. Tidal energy converters typically resemble wind turbines however, unlike wind turbines, they are expected to operate in an environment which is singularly hostile, and will also be expected to generate power in non-ideal operating conditions. This thesis is concerned with the ability to model individual and groups of tidal devices including their mutual interactions. The ability to capture unsteady inflow conditions at realistic array spacing requires preservation of turbine wakes over a sufficiently large range at spatial resolutions and over time durations which are not feasible using standard computational fluid dynamics software. This thesis has combined methodologies developed for helicopter wake modelling with techniques used in naval architecture for modelling thick maritime propellers into a computational tool. The particular formulation of the Navier-Stokes equations employed allows the determination of the unsteady pressure and force distributions on a turbine rotor due to the effects of a neighbouring device, even if it is operating some significant distance upstream. The constituents of the method of this thesis are developed and applied to "proof-of-principle" studies. These include flow past static and oscillating 2-D aerofoils and past a 3-D wing, wind turbine and tidal turbine configuration. The results from these studies demonstrate that the model is convergent and capable of capturing the time dependant forces on these devices, and by comparison with analytical or experimental results, or via inter-model comparison begins the process of calibration and validation of the model. The method is then applied to flow past groups of turbines in various array configurations, and a coaxial, contra-rotating device. The outcome of this work is a decision making tool which can be used to improve success and reduce risk in tidal power array planning, optimise device configurations and is translatable back into rotorcraft or naval architecture usage.Due to concerns about the impacts of carbon emissions on the environment, the security of supply of electricity and the likelihood of achieving "peak-oil" in the near future, governments have legislated to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. An attractive alternative is power obtained from tidal currents, and the coast of the British Isles is especially hydraulically active. Tidal energy converters typically resemble wind turbines however, unlike wind turbines, they are expected to operate in an environment which is singularly hostile, and will also be expected to generate power in non-ideal operating conditions. This thesis is concerned with the ability to model individual and groups of tidal devices including their mutual interactions. The ability to capture unsteady inflow conditions at realistic array spacing requires preservation of turbine wakes over a sufficiently large range at spatial resolutions and over time durations which are not feasible using standard computational fluid dynamics software. This thesis has combined methodologies developed for helicopter wake modelling with techniques used in naval architecture for modelling thick maritime propellers into a computational tool. The particular formulation of the Navier-Stokes equations employed allows the determination of the unsteady pressure and force distributions on a turbine rotor due to the effects of a neighbouring device, even if it is operating some significant distance upstream. The constituents of the method of this thesis are developed and applied to "proof-of-principle" studies. These include flow past static and oscillating 2-D aerofoils and past a 3-D wing, wind turbine and tidal turbine configuration. The results from these studies demonstrate that the model is convergent and capable of capturing the time dependant forces on these devices, and by comparison with analytical or experimental results, or via inter-model comparison begins the process of calibration and validation of the model. The method is then applied to flow past groups of turbines in various array configurations, and a coaxial, contra-rotating device. The outcome of this work is a decision making tool which can be used to improve success and reduce risk in tidal power array planning, optimise device configurations and is translatable back into rotorcraft or naval architecture usage

An unsteady hydrodynamic model for tidal current turbines

Due to concerns about the impacts of carbon emissions on the environment, the security of supply of electricity and the likelihood of achieving “peak-oil” in the near future, governments have legislated to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. An attractive alternative is power obtained from tidal currents, and the coast of the British Isles is especially hydraulically active. Tidal energy converters typically resemble wind turbines however, unlike wind turbines, they are expected to operate in an environment which is singularly hostile, and will also be expected to generate power in non-ideal operating conditions. This thesis is concerned with the ability to model individual and groups of tidal devices including their mutual interactions. The ability to capture unsteady inflow conditions at realistic array spacing requires preservation of turbine wakes over a sufficiently large range at spatial resolutions and over time durations which are not feasible using standard computational fluid dynamics software. This thesis has combined methodologies developed for helicopter wake modelling with techniques used in naval architecture for modelling thick maritime propellers into a computational tool. The particular formulation of the Navier-Stokes equations employed allows the determination of the unsteady pressure and force distributions on a turbine rotor due to the effects of a neighbouring device, even if it is operating some significant distance upstream. The constituents of the method of this thesis are developed and applied to “proof-of principle” studies. These include flow past static and oscillating 2-D aerofoils and past a 3-D wing, wind turbine and tidal turbine configuration. The results from these studies demonstrate that the model is convergent and capable of capturing the time dependant forces on these devices, and by comparison with analytical or experimental results, or via inter-model comparison begins the process of calibration and validation of the model. The method is then applied to flow past groups of turbines in various array configurations, and a coaxial, contra-rotating device. The outcome of this work is a decision making tool which can be used to improve success and reduce risk in tidal power array planning, optimise device configurations and is translatable back into rotorcraft or naval architecture usage

Unsteady hydrodynamic modelling of rotor systems used in marine current turbines

This paper discusses unsteady hydrodynamic modelling of rotor systems used in marine current turbines

Equimar : development of best practices for the engineering performance appraisal of wave and tidal energy converters

Description of Equimar, the development of best practices for the engineering performance appraisal of wave and tidal energy converters

A methodology for equitable performance assessment and presentation of wave energy converters based on sea trials

A general and widely applicable methodology to assess and present the performance of wave energy converters (WEC) based on sea trials is presented. It is meant to encourage WEC developers to present the performance of their WEC prototypes, on a transparent and equitable way while taking care of possible discrepancy in the observed performance of the WEC. Due to the harsh uncontrollable conditions of the sea that is encountered by WECs during sea trials, some of the performance of the WECs might be sub optimal and the data sets not fully complete. The methodology enables to filter the data by applying a selection criterion on the performance data that was obtained for a certain range of wave conditions. This selection criteria result in a subset of performance data representing the performance of the WEC for specific wave conditions, from which an average value an appreciation of the related uncertainty can be derived. This can lead to the estimation of the annual energy output of the WEC at its test location, while it also provides a method to estimate its annual energy output for another location of interest and possibly also at another scaling ratio. The same methodology can also be used to perform parametric studies with environmental or device dependent parameters and to analyse the power conversion chain from wave to wire, which both could lead to an enhanced understanding of the performance and behaviour of the WEC. The same methodology is also applicable to tidal devices or any other developing technologies that are used in an uncontrollable environment

Tidal turbine wakes : small scale experimental and initial computational modelling

Paper describes tidal turbine wakes using small scale experimental and initial computational modelling

Tank testing

Tank testing is performed to obtain high quality data for a proposed device under a controlled environment Estimates of final performance may also be obtained against a selection of idealised sea conditions. Tank Testing includes small scale through larger scale model testing including preliminary analysis of power takeoff

Sea trials

A set of trials in an uncontrolled ocean environment that build confidence in the functionality, maintenance, operation and performance of the device and its ability to survive extreme conditions