Abstract
A tidal turbine simulation system is developed based on a three-dimensional oceanographic numerical model. Both the current and turbulent controlling equations are modified to account for impact of tidal turbines on water velocity and turbulence generation and dissipation. High resolution mesh size at the turbine location is assigned in order to capture the details of hydrodynamics due to the turbine operation. The system is tested against comprehensive measurements in a water flume experiment and results of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations. The validation results suggest that the new modelling system is proven to be able to accurately simulate hydrodynamics with the presence of turbines. The developed turbine simulation system is then applied to a series of test cases in which a standalone turbine is deployed. Here, complete velocity profiles and mixing are realized that could not have been produced in a standard two-dimensional treatment. Of particular interest in these cases is an observed accelerated flow near the bed in the wake of the turbine, leading to enhanced bottom shear stress (∼2 N/m2 corresponding to the critical stress of a range of fine gravel and finer sediment particles).
Highlights
As a response to the natural energy resource shortage and worldwide climate change, due in part to burning of fossil fuels to fulfil ever growing energy requirements, clean and renewable alternatives have been gaining significant attention
One should note that in the current state of the proposed method, simulated wake still lacks rotational motion, which may result in inaccurate suspended sediment distribution. Another important finding in this research is the increased bed shear stress predicted by the three-dimensional FVCOM, which agrees with results reported in physical experiment studies [6,42]
A numerical model based on FVCOM for simulating far-field impacts of tidal turbines has been developed according to understandings obtained from laboratory measurements [6] and small scale Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations
Summary
As a response to the natural energy resource shortage and worldwide climate change, due in part to burning of fossil fuels to fulfil ever growing energy requirements, clean and renewable alternatives have been gaining significant attention. The UK is aiming for 15% of the country's total energy production to be produced from renewable resources by 2020 [1]. In this regard, tidal stream energy is considered to be a very promising avenue of investigation due to its consistent predictability and availability. At the time of writing, 119 Tidal Energy Converter (TEC) concepts, developed by different companies, are listed on the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC)'s website; with full-scale tests of such devices currently underway in coastal waters around the world
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