Study on the impact of wave characteristics on the performance of full-scale tidal turbine

Abstract

The operation of tidal turbines is inevitably influenced by waves, and extensive research has undoubtedly been conducted on this topic. However, most investigations of such studies have utilized small-scale turbines, with a primary focus on the load characteristics of the turbines themselves. There is a slight deficiency in attention to the wave characteristics that contribute to these loads. To bridge this gap, this study develops a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of a full-scale tidal turbine. The model's accuracy is assessed through flume experiments using a scaled-down version, validating the numerical approach against wave conditions. Employing actual tidal flow velocity and wave data as input, this study specifically examines how variations in wave period and height affect turbine performance. The analysis reveals a nuanced decrease in time-averaged performance with increases in wave period and height. Load fluctuations arise from wave impacts, turbine rotor rotation, and their interaction. With the increase in wave period or height, the fluctuations caused by the wave impacts and the interaction increase, while those induced by rotor rotation exhibit a slow growth trend but essentially remain stable.