Design Load Analysis of Current Power Rotor and Tower Interaction

Abstract

Tidal-current power is now recognized as a clean power resource. The turbine blade is the fundamental component of a tidal current power turbine. The kinetic energy available within a tidal current can be converted into rotational power by turbine blades. While in service, turbine blades are generally subjected to cyclic fatigue loading due to their rotation and the rotor-tower interaction. Predicting the fatigue life under a hydrodynamic fatigue load is very important to prevent blade failure while in service. To predict the fatigue life, hydrodynamic load data should be acquired. In this study, the vibration characteristics were analyzed based on three-dimensional unsteady simulations to obtain the cyclic fatigue load. Our results can be applied to the fatigue design of horizontal-axis tidal turbines.