An Approach for the Dynamic Behavior of Hydrokinetic Turbines

Abstract

Abstract The power generation, using hydrokinetic turbine, has been significantly studied in recent years. Such importance is due to the use of clean energy source with low environmental impact. That kind of technology converts the kinetic energy transported by marine and fluvial currents into mechanical energy and, consequently in electrical energy. Therefore, this work presents a methodology for the efficient design of small horizontal axis hydrokinetic turbines with variable rotation. The approach uses the dynamic equation of the power train, taking into account the Blade Element Method (BEM) for determining the power coefficient of the turbine, which is coupled with the model of the drive line of the system, including the multiplier and the electric generator. Thus, the modeling of the whole system comprises the hydrodynamic information of the rotor and the characteristics of the inertia of the system, frictional losses and electromagnetic torque of the generator. The results of numerical simulation are obtained for the transient rotational speed of the rotor and compared with field data measured from small hydrokinetic turbine.