On the upscaling approach to wind tunnel experiments of horizontal axis hydrokinetic turbines

Abstract

In this work, we proposed an upscaling methodology to extrapolate results from wind tunnel experiments with small-scale model to the full-size hydrokinetic turbine. Small-scale 1:20 wind tunnel experiments ( $${\hbox {Re}}\sim 10^4$$ ), with a three-blade horizontal axis turbine, were carried out looking to identify the characteristic curves of a full-size turbine operating in water ( $${\hbox {Re}}\sim 10^6$$ ). The lack of dynamic similarity due to unmatched Reynolds numbers is analyzed in the framework of blade element momentum theory arguments. A new semi-empirical power-law equation is achieved, uniquely based on the BEM theory which relates the power coefficients of model and full-size turbine to the Reynolds numbers and a power factor, specific to each turbine. Computational fluid dynamic CFD simulations for the same rotor geometry, simulating different runners with varying diameters from small-scale model to full-scale turbine are carried out to validate the upscaling arguments, and to verify the accuracy of the power coefficient curves predicted by proposed methodology.