Numerical simulation of tubular turbine applied in wave energy extraction

Abstract

Overtopping wave energy convertor is becoming increasing popular with the advantages of high efficiency and good reliability. As the core of this type of wave energy extraction device, a shaft tubular turbine with the design head of 15m was optimization designed based on the wave condition somewhere in Shangdong province. Navier-Stokes equations and SIMPLEC algorithm were taken for the numerical simulation of the 3D steady turbulent flow field. By taking consideration of the hydraulic performance of various methods, the best blade airfoil, blade setting angle and guide vane axis were determined. The result shows that the tubular turbine after optimization design not only has the best hydraulic performance with the highest efficiency of 85.36% but also meets the requirement for smooth operation under wave condition. The tubular turbine designed for application in wave energy extraction by numerical simulation is able to supply support for the related research of this field.