Abstract
The development of underwater vehicles is facing the problem of sustainable energy supply. This study introduces a small water turbine, the Lenz turbine, for energy generation from the ocean currents which will provide energy for the underwater vehicles. Computational fluid dynamics simulations of the effect of geometric parameters, including the blade radius, chord length, and pitch angle, on the performance of the turbine are conducted. The Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes equations are numerically solved with a sliding mesh method. Thirteen sets of tests in total are performed at different values of tip-speed ratios. The tests are divided into three groups to study the effect of the three parameters mentioned above, separately. The obtained power coefficients, coefficient of torque, and the dynamic torque on a blade are then compared in each group of tests. Pressure contours and velocity contours are given to explain the reason how the geometric parameters affect the rotor performance.
Highlights
Rapid development in the field of robotics has created a plethora of applications which have wider implications for our society
Underwater working time is an important indicator of the performance of underwater vehicles
As a foot stone for the future development of the underwater power generation networks, this article aims to numerically model a novel type of vertical axis water turbines (VAWTs), the Lenz turbine invented by Lenz, and study its hydrodynamic behavior
Summary
Rapid development in the field of robotics has created a plethora of applications which have wider implications for our society. Among the various kinds of robotics, underwater vehicles are a kind of self-propelled, selfexecuting underwater robots, which play an important role in expanding people’s knowledge of the ocean. Autonomous underwater vehicles are capable of a wide range of applications,[1,2,3] such as pipeline inspection,[4] underwater search and rescue, mine-sweeping,[5] and oceanographic exploration.[6,7]. Underwater working time is an important indicator of the performance of underwater vehicles. Low power consumption techniques must be considered in the design process of underwater vehicles, such as node circuit design, communication design, and measuring instruments design. In order to improve the working time of underwater vehicles, the energy supply problem must be solved
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