Wingtip Devices for Tidal Turbines: Performance Improvement and Cavitation Mitigation

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivaylo Nedyalkov ◽  
Ian Gagnon ◽  
Jesse Shull ◽  
John Brindley ◽  
Martin Wosnik
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Numerical Simulations ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Lift Coefficient ◽  
Small Diameter ◽  
Tip Vortex ◽  
Power Exponent ◽  
Test Bed ◽  
Tip Vortex Cavitation ◽  
Tidal Turbines

Wingtip devices are common in aeronautical applications and are increasingly used on wind turbines. However, their use in hydrokinetic energy conversion applications such as tidal turbines to date is minimal, due to the concern for increased bio-fouling and also the fact that there is little or no data publically available describing their cavitation characteristics. In this study, three wingtip designs were considered for hydrokinetic turbine applications: a plain foil with a rounded tip (considered the reference case), a generic wingtip device (a winglet), and a novel “split-tip” device. The tips were studied numerically and experimentally at different angles of attack. The numerical simulations were performed in OpenFOAM using the k-omega SST model to predict the lift and drag characteristics of a “base” foil with each of the three wingtip devices. Additionally the pressure and vorticity were observed. Experiments were conducted in the University of New Hampshire High-Speed Cavitation Tunnel – HiCaT. A modular experimental test bed with an elliptical foil section was developed specifically for the study. The test bed extends to the centerline of the tunnel where wingtips are attached, and has four small-diameter tube openings to accommodate pressure measurements and/or mass injection studies. Water tunnel data were obtained for lift, and cavitation inception, and compared to the numerical simulations. The numerical results show decreased vorticity with presence of the wingtip devices, however, the advantage of using wingtips for decreasing drag and increasing lift forces is not conclusively exhibited. The experimental measurements suggest that there is a significant suppression of tip vortex cavitation with the use of wingtip devices at high angles of attack (around 10 degrees), but the advantage of using the wingtip devices diminishes at lower angles of attack. It was shown by Arndt [1] that tip-vortex cavitation on hydrofoils can be related to the lift coefficient and the Reynolds number, where the cavitation index at inception is proportional to the square of the section lift coefficient and the Reynolds number based on hydrofoil chord, taken to the power m. The power exponent m has been generally accepted to be approximately 0.4. This relation is made into an equation via a coefficient of proportionality K, which depends on the wingtip and foil section geometry, and has been empirically determined to have values between 0.025 and 0.056 for previously investigated wings. While the value of the coefficient K for the reference wing tip remained comparatively constant for the range of conditions investigated (angles of attack, Reynolds numbers), it varied significantly for the foil terminated by the winglet. This may be due to the non-elliptical load distribution in the span-wise direction, but also raises the question whether the standard tip-vortex cavitation correlation for hydrofoils is applicable for general wingtip devices.

Observation and Scaling of Tip Vortex Cavitation on Elliptical Hydrofoils

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shigeki Nagaya ◽  
Risa Kimoto ◽  
Kenji Naganuma ◽  
Takayuki Mori
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Reynolds Number ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Tip Vortex ◽  
Video Observation ◽  
Tip Vortex Cavitation ◽  
Air Content ◽  
Sheet Cavitation ◽  
High Speed Video ◽  
Systems Research

Experimental study on tip vortex cavitation (TVC) was carried out for elliptical hydrofoils with various chord lengths. The purpose of the experiment was to clarify the influences of Reynolds number and water quality on tip vortex cavitation. Experiments were made in a large cavitation tunnel of the Naval Systems Research Center, TRDI/Ministry of Defense Japan. The elliptical hydrofoils tested were NACA 0012 cross section with chord lengths of 500mm, 250mm and 50mm. Reynolds number based on hydrofoil chord length was 2×105 < ReC < 7.4×106. Water quality of the tunnel was characterized by air content and nuclei distribution. Air content of the tunnel was varied between 30% and 80%. Nuclei distribution was measured by a cavitation susceptibility meter (CSM) with center-body venturi. Cavitation inception was determined from high speed video observation. A standard formula, (σL/σS) = (ReL/ReS)n, was applied for the scaling. In the present study, exponent of the scaling law n was found to be 0.2 < n < 0.4. High speed video observation showed that the process of the TVC inception strongly depends on water quality. In the experiments, unsteady behaviors of TVC were also investigated. Strong interactions between sheet cavitation and TVC were observed.

Tip-Vortex Induced Cavitation on a Ducted Propulsor

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher J. Chesnakas ◽  
Stuart D. Jessup
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Tip Vortex ◽  
Number Range ◽  
Vortical Structures ◽  
Tip Vortices ◽  
Tip Vortex Cavitation ◽  
Cavitation Inception ◽  
Ducted Rotor

An extensive experimental investigation was carried out to examine tip-vortex induced cavitation on a ducted propulsor. The flowfield about a 3-bladed, ducted rotor operating in uniform inflow was measured in detail with three-dimensional LDV; cavitation inception was measured; and a correlated hydrophone/high-speed video system was used to identify and characterize the early, sub-visual cavitation events. Two geometrically-similar, ducted rotors were tested over a Reynolds number range from 1.4×106 to 9×106 in order to determine how the tip-vortex cavitation scales with Reynolds number. Analysis of the data shows that exponent for scaling tip-vortex cavitation with Reynolds number is smaller than for open rotors. It is shown that the parameters which are commonly accepted to control tip-vortex cavitation, vortex circulation and vortex core size, do not directly control cavitation inception on this ducted rotor. Rather it appears that cavitation is initiated by the stretching and deformation of secondary vortical structures resulting from the merger of the leakage and tip vortices.

scholarly journals Cavitation on Model- and Full-Scale Marine Propellers: Steady And Transient Viscous Flow Simulations At Different Reynolds Numbers

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ville Viitanen ◽  
Timo Siikonen ◽  
Antonio Sánchez-Caja
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Numerical Simulations ◽  
Full Scale ◽  
Tip Vortex ◽  
Wake Flow ◽  
Time Step ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Marine Propellers ◽  
Model Scale ◽  
Propeller Performance

In this paper, we conducted numerical simulations to investigate single and two-phase flows around marine propellers in open-water conditions at different Reynolds number regimes. The simulations were carried out using a homogeneous compressible two-phase flow model with RANS and hybrid RANS/LES turbulence modeling approaches. Transition was accounted for in the model-scale simulations by employing an LCTM transition model. In model scale, also an anisotropic RANS model was utilized. We investigated two types of marine propellers: a conventional and a tip-loaded one. We compared the results of the simulations to experimental results in terms of global propeller performance and cavitation observations. The propeller cavitation, near-blade flow phenomena, and propeller wake flow characteristics were investigated in model- and full-scale conditions. A grid and time step sensitivity studies were carried out with respect to the propeller performance and cavitation characteristics. The model-scale propeller performance and the cavitation patterns were captured well with the numerical simulations, with little difference between the utilized turbulence models. The global propeller performance and the cavitation patterns were similar between the model- and full-scale simulations. A tendency of increased cavitation extent was observed as the Reynolds number increases. At the same time, greater dissipation of the cavitating tip vortex was noted in the full-scale conditions.

Tip Vortex Cavitation Inception Scaling for High Reynolds Number Applications

2009 ◽  
Vol 131 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Young T. Shen ◽  
Scott Gowing ◽  
Stuart Jessup
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Boundary Layer Thickness ◽  
Reynolds Numbers ◽  
Present Theory ◽  
Full Scale ◽  
Tip Vortex ◽  
Tip Vortex Cavitation ◽  
Cavitation Inception ◽  
High Reynolds

Tip vortices generated by marine lifting surfaces such as propeller blades, ship rudders, hydrofoil wings, and antiroll fins can lead to cavitation. Prediction of the onset of this cavitation depends on model tests at Reynolds numbers much lower than those for the corresponding full-scale flows. The effect of Reynolds number variations on the scaling of tip vortex cavitation inception is investigated using a theoretical flow similarity approach. The ratio of the circulations in the full-scale and model-scale trailing vortices is obtained by assuming that the spanwise distributions of the section lift coefficients are the same between the model-scale and the full-scale. The vortex pressure distributions and core sizes are derived using the Rankine vortex model and McCormick’s assumption about the dependence of the vortex core size on the boundary layer thickness at the tip region. Using a logarithmic law to describe the velocity profile in the boundary layer over a large range of Reynolds number, the boundary layer thickness becomes dependent on the Reynolds number to a varying power. In deriving the scaling of the cavitation inception index as the ratio of Reynolds numbers to an exponent m, the values of m are not constant and are dependent on the values of the model- and full-scale Reynolds numbers themselves. This contrasts traditional scaling for which m is treated as a fixed value that is independent of Reynolds numbers. At very high Reynolds numbers, the present theory predicts the value of m to approach zero, consistent with the trend of these flows to become inviscid. Comparison of the present theory with available experimental data shows promising results, especially with recent results from high Reynolds number tests. Numerical examples of the values of m are given for different model- to full-scale sizes and Reynolds numbers.

The Case of the Singing Vortex

1997 ◽  
Vol 119 (2) ◽  
pp. 271-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Maines ◽  
R. E. A. Arndt
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Cross Section ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Angle Of Attack ◽  
High Amplitude ◽  
Cavitation Number ◽  
Tip Vortex ◽  
Tip Vortex Cavitation ◽  
High Speed Video ◽  
Noise Data

A relatively high amplitude, discrete tone is radiated from fully developed tip vortex cavitation under certain conditions. The phenomenon of the “singing vortex” was first reported by Higuchi et al. (1989). This study more closely examines the singing phenomenon by varying the hydrofoil cross-section, scale, angle of attack, water quality, and cavitation number in two different facilities. Noise data were collected for each condition with visual documentation using both still photography and high speed video in an effort to explain the mechanism of vortex singing. The theory of Kelvin (1880) provides a framework for correlating all the data obtained.

An experimental insight into the effect of confinement on tip vortex cavitation of an elliptical hydrofoil

1999 ◽  
Vol 390 ◽  
pp. 1-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
OLIVIER BOULON ◽  
MATHIEU CALLENAERE ◽  
JEAN-PIERRE FRANC ◽  
JEAN-MARIE MICHEL
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Lift Coefficient ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Tangential Velocity ◽  
Velocity Profiles ◽  
Tip Clearance ◽  
Tip Vortex ◽  
Flat Plates ◽  
Tip Vortex Cavitation ◽  
Cavitation Inception

The present paper is devoted to an analysis of tip vortex cavitation under confined situations. The tip vortex is generated by a three-dimensional foil of elliptical planform, and the confinement is achieved by flat plates set perpendicular to the span, at an adjustable distance from the tip. In the range of variation of the boundary-layer thickness investigated, no significant interaction was observed between the tip vortex and the boundary layer which develops on the confinement plate. In particular, the cavitation inception index for tip vortex cavitation does not depend significantly upon the length of the plate upstream of the foil. On the contrary, tip clearance has a strong influence on the non-cavitating structure of the tip vortex and consequently on the inception of cavitation in its core. The tangential velocity profiles measured by a laser-Doppler velocimetry (LDV) technique through the vortex, between the suction and the pressure sides of the foil, are strongly asymmetric near the tip. They become more and more symmetric downstream and the confinement speeds up the symmetrization process. When the tip clearance is reduced to a few millimetres, the two extrema of the velocity profiles increase. This increase results in a decrease of the minimum pressure in the vortex centre and accounts for the smaller resistance to cavitation observed when tip clearance is reduced. For smaller values of tip clearance, a reduction of tip clearance induces on the contrary a significant reduction in the maxima of the tangential velocity together with a significant increase in the size of the vortex core estimated along the confinement plate. Hence, the resistance to cavitation is much higher for such small values of tip clearance and in practice, no tip vortex cavitation is observed for tip clearances below 1.5 mm. The cavitation number for the inception of tip vortex cavitation does not correlate satisfactorily with the lift coefficient, contrary to classical results obtained without any confinement. Owing to the specificity introduced by the confinement, the usual procedure developed in an infinite medium to estimate the vortex strength from LDV measurements is not applicable here. Hence, a new quantity homogeneous to a circulation had to be defined on the basis of the maximum tangential velocity and the core size, which proved to be better correlated to the cavitation inception data.

Tip Vortex Cavitation Inception Scaling for High Reynolds Number Application

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Young T. Shen ◽  
Stuart Jessup ◽  
Scott Gowing
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Boundary Layer Thickness ◽  
Reynolds Numbers ◽  
Present Theory ◽  
Full Scale ◽  
Tip Vortex ◽  
Tip Vortex Cavitation ◽  
Cavitation Inception ◽  
High Reynolds

Tip vortices that are generated by marine lifting surfaces such as propeller blades, ship rudders, hydrofoil wings, and anti-roll fins can lead to cavitation. Prediction of the onset of this cavitation depends on model tests at Reynolds numbers much lower than those for the corresponding full-scale flows. The effect of Reynolds number variations on the scaling of tip vortex cavitation inception is investigated using a theoretical flow similarity approach. The ratio of the circulations in the full-scale and model-scale trailing vortices is obtained by assuming that the spanwise section lift coefficient distributions are the same between model and full-scale. The vortex pressure distributions and core sizes are derived using the Rankine vortex model and McCormick’s assumption about the dependence of the vortex core size on the boundary layer thickness at the tip region. Using a logarithmic law to describe the velocity profile in the boundary layer over a large range of Reynolds number, the boundary layer thickness becomes dependent on the Reynolds number to a varying power. In deriving the cavitation inception scaling in the traditional scaling format of σif / σim = (Ref/Rem)n, the values of n are not constant and depend on the values of Ref and Rem themselves. This contrasts traditional scaling for which n is treated as a fixed value that is independent of Reynolds numbers. At very high Reynolds numbers, the present theory predicts the value of n to approach zero, consistent with the trend of these flows to become inviscid. Comparison of the present theory with available experimental data shows promising results, especially with recent results from high Reynolds number tests. Numerical examples are given of the values of n for different model to full-scale sizes and Reynolds numbers.

Effect of Tripping Laminar-to-Turbulent Boundary Layer Transition on Tip Vortex Cavitation

1997 ◽  
Vol 41 (01) ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
T. Pichon ◽  
A. Pauchet ◽  
A. Astolfi ◽  
D. H. Fruman ◽  
J-Y. Billard
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Turbulent Boundary Layer ◽  
Flat Plate ◽  
Cross Section ◽  
Lift Coefficient ◽  
Reynolds Numbers ◽  
Boundary Layer Transition ◽  
Tip Vortex ◽  
Layer Transition ◽  
Tip Vortex Cavitation

It is by now well established that, for Reynolds numbers larger than those corresponding to the conditions of laminar-to-turbulent boundary layer transition over a flat plate (≈0.5 × 106) and for a variety of wing shapes and cross sections, desinent cavitation numbers divided by the Reynolds number to the power 0.4 correlate with the square of the lift coefficient. In the case of foils having an NACA 16020 cross section and for Reynolds numbers below or close to those leading to transition over a flat plate, the results are very much different from those obtained for well-developed turbulent boundary layer conditions. Thus, a research program has been conducted in order to investigate the effect of boundary layer manipulation on cavitation occurrence. It consisted in determining the critical cavitation numbers, the lift coefficients, and the velocities in the tip vortex of foils having either a smooth surface or tripping roughness (promoters) near the leading edge. Tests were performed using elliptical foils of NACA 16020 cross section having the promoters extending over 60, 80 and 90 percent of the semi-span. The region near the tip was kept smooth in order to distinguish laminar-to-turbulent transition effects from tip vortex cavitation inhibition effects associated with artificial roughness at the wing tip. Results obtained at very low Reynolds numbers, ≥ 0.24 × 106, with the foil tripped on both the pressure and suction sides collapse rather well with those previously obtained at much larger Reynolds numbers with the smooth foil, and correlate with the square of the lift coefficient. The differences between the tripped and smooth foil results are due to the modification of the lift characteristics through the modification of the wing boundary layer, as shown by flow visualization studies, and as a result of the local tip vortex intensity.

Flow Structure Above Stationary and Oscillating Low-Aspect-Ratio Wing

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel R. Visbal ◽  
Daniel J. Garmann
Keyword(s):  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Aspect Ratio ◽  
Flow Structure ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Lift Coefficient ◽  
Pressure Fluctuations ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Tip Vortex ◽  
Eddy Simulation ◽  
Moderate Reynolds Number

Computations have been carried out in order to describe the complex unsteady flow structure over a stationary and plunging aspect-ratio-two wing under low Reynolds number conditions (Rec = 104). The flow fields are computed employing a high-fidelity implicit large-eddy simulation (ILES) approach found to be effective for moderate Reynolds number flows exhibiting mixed laminar, transitional and turbulent regions. The evolution of the flow structure and aerodynamic loading as a function of increasing angle of attack is presented. Lift and pressure fluctuations are found to be primarily dominated by the large scale circulatory pattern established above the wing due to separation from the leading edge, and by the inherent three dimensionality of the flow induced by the finite aspect ratio. The spanwise distribution of the sectional lift coefficient revealed only a minor direct contribution to the loading exherted by the tip vortex. High-frequency, small-amplitude oscillations are shown to have a significant effect on the separation process and accompanying loads suggesting potential flow control through either suitable actuation or aero-elastic tailoring.

Experimental Study of Scale Effects on the Scaling Law for Tip Vortex Cavitation Noise

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jisoo Park ◽  
Cheolsoo Park ◽  
Youngmin Choo ◽  
Woojae Seong
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Scale Effects ◽  
Scaling Law ◽  
Size Variation ◽  
Tip Vortex ◽  
Cavitation Noise ◽  
Scaling Exponents ◽  
Tip Vortex Cavitation ◽  
Cavitation Inception ◽  
Vortex Model

Novel scaling law for the tip vortex cavitation (TVC) noise is derived from the physical basis of TVC, employing the Rankine vortex model, the Rayleigh-Plesset equation, the lifting surface theory, and the number of bubbles generated per unit time (N0). All terms appearing in the scaling law have physical or mathematical grounds except for N0. Therefore, to experimentally validate the N0 term, experiments are designed to keep the same TVC patterns as velocities and dimensions vary. Optimal shooting conditions with a velocity and size variation are determined from the scaling exponents, cavitation numbers and Reynolds numbers at each condition. To avoid wall effects and flow field interaction, two hydrofoils are optimally arranged by using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for size variation. Images taken by a high speed camera are used to count N0, considering similitude of the spectra of nuclei. Scaling exponents curve fitted from five velocities and cavitation inception numbers have an exponent value of 0.371, which is closely placed on scaling exponents curve deduced from Schlichting’s friction coefficients fitting with Reynolds number. The tendency that N0 is proportional to a velocity and inversely proportional to a size can be confirmed by this study.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document