Analysis of the Wells Turbine Structure of an Oscillating Water Column Wave Energy System

2021 ◽  
pp. 53-62
Author(s):  
Mohamed Ali Jemni ◽  
Hamdi Hentati ◽  
Sawsan Elmbarki ◽  
Mohamed Salah Abid
Keyword(s):  
Water Column ◽  
Wave Energy ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Oscillating Water Column ◽  
Wells Turbine

scholarly journals Optimal design of air turbines for oscillating water column wave energy systems: A review

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tapas Kumar Das ◽  
Paresh Halder ◽  
Abdus Samad
Keyword(s):  
Water Column ◽  
Wave Energy ◽  
Guide Vane ◽  
Optimization Techniques ◽  
Maximum Efficiency ◽  
Oscillating Water Column ◽  
Peak Efficiency ◽  
Wells Turbine ◽  
Impulse Turbine ◽  
Operating Range

Oscillating water column wave energy harvesting system uses pneumatic power to run a turbine and generate power. Both reaction (mainly Wells turbine) and impulse type turbines are tested in oscillating water column system and the performances are investigated. Reaction turbines are easy to install, and the operating range is narrow and possesses higher peak efficiency. On the contrary, impulse turbines have the wider operating range and lower peak efficiency. Some of the key parameters for Wells turbine are solidity, tip clearance, and the hub-to-tip ratio. Significant performance improvement is possible by redesigning the turbines using optimization techniques. Till date, surrogate modeling and an automated optimization library OPAL are commonly used in optimization of oscillating water column air turbines. In this article, various types of oscillating water column turbines are reviewed, and optimization techniques applied to such turbines are discussed. The Wells turbine with guide vane has the maximum efficiency, whereas the axial-impulse turbine with pitch-controlled guide vane has the widest operating range. Turbines with optimized geometry have better overall performance than other turbines.

A detailed analysis of the unsteady flow within a Wells turbine

2017 ◽  
Vol 231 (3) ◽  
pp. 197-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiziano Ghisu ◽  
Pierpaolo Puddu ◽  
Francesco Cambuli
Keyword(s):  
Detailed Analysis ◽  
Water Column ◽  
Wave Energy ◽  
Oscillating Water Column ◽  
Renewable Energy Resources ◽  
Wells Turbine ◽  
Column System ◽  
Flow Parameters ◽  
Important Interaction ◽  
Acceleration And Deceleration

Sea wave energy is one of the main renewable energy resources. Its exploitation is relatively simple and determines a minimum impact on the environment. The system that is most often used for wave energy harvesting is composed of an oscillating water column device together with a Wells turbine. When designing the Wells turbine, its interaction with the oscillating water column system must be taken into account, if the energy collected is to be maximized. The most important interaction phenomenon is the so called hysteresis effect, i.e. the time delay between the piston-like motion of the air water interface and the torque developed by the turbine. This work presents a detailed analysis of the flow within an oscillating water column system, focusing on the differences in performance and in secondary flow structures between acceleration and deceleration, and between the inflow and outflow phases. This analysis demonstrates how the hysteresis between acceleration and deceleration is caused uniquely by compressibility effects within the oscillating water column system, while differences in the flow parameters and secondary structures near the rotor are negligible, if equivalent flow conditions are compared. The effects of the oscillating water column system configuration on the performance are also highlighted.

scholarly journals A wave energy system based on peristaltic pumping of air by sea waves

2019 ◽  
Vol XXII (1) ◽  
pp. 269-277
Author(s):  
Ünsalan D.
Keyword(s):  
Water Column ◽  
Wave Energy ◽  
Air Flow ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Leeward Side ◽  
Channel Height ◽  
Oscillating Water Column ◽  
Sea Waves ◽  
Peristaltic Pumping ◽  
Calm Water

Oscillating water column type of wave energy converters have attracted researchers and engineers working on the field of renewable energy systems, despite the problems caused by the alternating direction of air flow through the turbines. This problem has been circumvented by the use of single direction of rotation turbines such as Wells, Denniss-Auld and omnidirectional impulse turbines, albeit with rather low efficiencies. The authors have considered the usage of near-sinusoidal (cnoidal) form of sea waves as the drivers for the linear peristaltic pumping of air along a channel. The conceived device is an inverted U-shaped channel on a barge, aligned in the direction of wave and serves as a channel for the progress of waveform. Air is driven through the channel by peristaltic action to achieve a unidirectional air flow at the leeward end of the channel. An end-wall operated by a float experiencing heaving and surging motions at the leeward side of the channel prevents the escape of pumped air, which instead is directed to an upward duct leading to a turbine. Since the air flow is unidirectional, the use of more convenient air turbines compared to the ones used in oscillating water column devices are enabled. Air flow parameters with wave amplitudes exceeding and less than channel height above the calm water line are analysed using the Airy wave to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed system analytically. It was found that the optimum solution was achieved when the channel top is at the calm water level

scholarly journals A Comparative Analysis of Self-Rectifying Turbines for the Mutriku Oscillating Water Column Energy Plant

Complexity ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erlantz Otaola ◽  
Aitor J. Garrido ◽  
Jon Lekube ◽  
Izaskun Garrido
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Power Plant ◽  
Water Column ◽  
Wave Energy ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Oscillating Water Column ◽  
Wells Turbine ◽  
Operation Costs ◽  
Energy Plant ◽  
Energy Harnessing

Oscillating Water Column (OWC) based devices are arising as one of the most promising technologies for wave energy harnessing. However, the most widely used turbine comprising its power take-off (PTO) module, the Wells turbine, presents some drawbacks that require special attention. Notwithstanding different control strategies are being followed to overcome these issues; the use of other self-rectifying turbines could directly achieve this goal at the expense of some extra construction, maintenance, and operation costs. However, these newly developed turbines in turn show diverse behaviours that should be compared for each case. This paper aims to analyse this comparison for the Mutriku wave energy power plant.

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