Abstract
This study presents results from the numerical analysis of the performance of the Horizontal Axis Tidal Turbine under the influence of current from various directions. The sliding mesh in ANSYS Fluent is used to simulate the rotating turbine. The realizable K-ε model is used to model the turbulence. The ANSYS model is verified against experimental data by comparing the power coefficient for various velocities of tidal current coming from zero-degree direction. After that, the effects of tidal current directions are investigated by considering nine approaching angles. It is found that the maximum Power Coefficient occurs when the direction of incoming flow is parallel to the rotational axis of the turbine, regardless of incoming flow velocity. Thrust coefficient, on the other hand, found to reach the maximum when deflection of incoming flow is 15°. In an actual marine environment, it is difficult to ensure that the incoming flow of water will always be parallel to the rotating axis of the turbine. Therefore, to ensure efficient energy capturing, it is suggested that the flow directions should be kept within 15° from the rotational axis of the turbine, especially for low incoming velocity.
Highlights
With the growing energy needs and consequent adverse effect of traditional fossil fuel, significant efforts are being devoted to research and development of renewable energy sources in recent days
This study presents results from the numerical analysis of the performance of the Horizontal Axis Tidal Turbine under the influence of current from various directions
The validated turbine model is used to analyze its performances under various velocities and direction of the tidal current by performing three-dimensional transient simulations in Ansys Fluent
Summary
With the growing energy needs and consequent adverse effect of traditional fossil fuel, significant efforts are being devoted to research and development of renewable energy sources in recent days. Oceanic tides are the biggest source of this energy, which are generated by gravitational forces from the sun and moon. They can be forecasted, making tidal energy a more consistent and predictable source. As these tidal turbines are submerged in water, more power is generated as compared to air, even at lower fluid velocity, as water is 800 times denser than air. The global ocean energy sector researchers, are taking advantage of this to develop various types of tidal energy generators consistently. Compared to various researches performed for wind energy harvesting [1,2,3,4], the study of the tidal turbine is still developing
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