Embedding of a Blade-Element Analytical Model into the SHYFEM Marine Circulation Code to Predict the Performance of Cross-Flow Turbines

Journal of Marine Science and Engineering

Stefania Zanforlin¹  Micol Pucci¹  Benedetto Rocchio²  Debora Bellafiore³  Georg Umgiesser³ 

[1] Department of Energy, Systems, Territory and Constructions Engineering, University of Pisa, 56122 Pisa, Italy;Department of Industrial and Civil Engineering (DICI), University of Pisa, 56122 Pisa, Italy;Institute of Marine Sciences-National Research Council (ISMAR-CNR), Castello 2737/F, 30122 Venice, Italy;

关键词: CFD;    cross-flow tidal turbine;    BEM;    source terms;    friction;    marine numerical model;   

DOI  :  10.3390/jmse8121010

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Our aim was to embed a 2D analytical model of a cross-flow tidal turbine inside the open-source SHYFEM marine circulation code. Other studies on the environmental impact of Tidal Energy Converters use marine circulation codes with simplified approaches: performance coefficients are fixed a priori regardless of the operating conditions and turbine geometrical parameters, and usually, the computational grid is so coarse that the device occupies one or few cells. In this work, a hybrid analytical computational fluid dynamic model based on Blade Element Momentum theory is implemented: since the turbine blades are not present in the grid, the flow is slowed down by means of bottom frictions applied to the seabed corresponding to forces equal and opposite to those that the blades would experience during their rotation. This simplified approach allowed reproducing the turbine behavior for both mechanical power generation and the turbine effect on the surrounding flow field. Moreover, the model was able to predict the interaction between the turbines belonging to a small cluster with hugely shorter calculation time compared to pure Computational Fluid Dynamics.

【 授权许可】

Unknown