Hydrokinetic turbine array modeling for performance analysis and deployment optimization

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 370-381 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sébastien Bourget ◽  
Olivier Gauvin-Tremblay ◽  
Guy Dumas

The promising preliminary results of an ongoing investigation aimed at developing a turbine array optimization tool are presented. This tool uses three-dimensional Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (3D RANS) CFD simulations of free-surface flows to capture blockage effects and turbine-wake interactions present in dense river arrays. Turbines are represented individually into the river model using actuating regions inside which momentum source terms are distributed non-uniformly and scaled with turbine force coefficients (defined with regards to a local velocity scale). These data are derived from a high-fidelity CFD simulation of the specific turbine operating near maximum power extraction.

Author(s):  
Zhisong Li ◽  
Kirti Ghia ◽  
Ye Li ◽  
Zhun Fan ◽  
Lian Shen

Tidal current is a promising renewable energy source. Previous studies have investigated the influence of surface waves on tidal turbines in many aspects. However, the turbine wake development in a surface wave environment, which is crucial for power extraction in a turbine array, remains elusive. In this study, we focus on the wake evolution behind a single turbine and its interaction with surface waves. A numerical solver is developed to study the effects of surface waves on an industrial-size turbine. A case without surface wave and two cases with waves and different rotor depths are investigated. We obtain three-dimensional flow field descriptions near the free surface, around the rotor, and in the near- and far-wake. In a comparative analysis, the time-averaged and instantaneous flow fields are examined for various flow characteristics, including momentum restoration, power output, free surface elevation and vorticity dynamics. A model reduction technique is employed to identify the coherent flow structures and investigate the spatial and temporal characteristics of the wave–wake interactions. The results indicate the effect of surface waves in augmenting wake restoration and reveal the interactions between the surface waves and the wake structure, through a series of dynamic processes and the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability.


2012 ◽  
Vol 134 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Kinsey ◽  
Guy Dumas

Three-dimensional hydrodynamic losses are assessed in this investigation for a foil oscillating sinusoidally in a combined heave and pitch motion with large amplitudes. Simulations are performed using a unsteady Reynolds-Averaged-Navier-Stokes (URANS) solver on an oscillating foil in a power-extraction mode; thus acting as a hydrokinetic turbine at high Reynolds number. Foils of various aspect ratios (span to chord length ratio) are considered, both with and without endplates for one representative operation point. Hydrodynamic forces and extracted power are compared with results from the equivalent two-dimensional (2D) computations. It is found that the relative drop of performance (cycle-averaged power extracted) due to 3D hydrodynamic losses can be limited to 10% of the 2D prediction when endplates are used on a foil of aspect ratio greater than ten. The practical consideration of an oscillating-foil hydrokinetic turbine operating in an imperfectly-aligned upstream water flow is also addressed with simulations considering an upstream flow at a yaw angle up to 30° with respect to the foil chord line. Effects on performance are found to be proportional to the projected kinetic energy flux.


Author(s):  
O. Schennach ◽  
R. Pecnik ◽  
B. Paradiso ◽  
E. Go¨ttlich ◽  
A. Marn ◽  
...  

The current paper presents the results of numerical and experimental clocking investigations performed in a high-pressure transonic turbine with a downstream vane row. The objective was a detailed analysis of shock and wake interactions in such a 1.5 stage machine while clocking the vanes. Therefore a transient 3D-Navier Stokes calculation was done for two clocking positions and the three dimensional results are compared with Laser-Doppler-Velocimetry measurements at midspan. Additionally the second vane was equipped with fast response pressure transducers to record the instantaneous surface pressure for 20 different clocking positions at midspan.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (23) ◽  
pp. 10173
Author(s):  
Vladimíra Michalcová ◽  
Kamila Kotrasová

Numerical simulation of fluid flow and heat or mass transfer phenomenon requires numerical solution of Navier–Stokes and energy-conservation equations, together with the continuity equation. The basic problem of solving general transport equations by the Finite Volume Method (FVM) is the exact calculation of the transport quantity. Numerical or false diffusion is a phenomenon of inserting errors in calculations that threaten the accuracy of the computational solution. The paper compares the physical accuracy of the calculation in the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code in Ansys Fluent using the offered discretization calculation schemes, methods of solving the gradients of the transport quantity on the cell walls, and the influence of the mesh type. The paper offers possibilities on how to reduce numerical errors. In the calculation area, the sharp boundary of two areas with different temperatures is created in the flow direction. The three-dimensional (3D) stationary flow of the fictitious gas is simulated using FVM so that only advective transfer, in terms of momentum and heat, arises. The subject of the study is to determine the level of numerical diffusion (temperature field scattering) and to evaluate the values of the transport quantity (temperature), which are outside the range of specified boundary conditions at variously set calculation parameters.


Author(s):  
Alejandro Herna´ndez Rossette ◽  
Zdzislaw Mazur C. ◽  
Jesu´s Cordero Guridi ◽  
Eric Chumacero Polanco

As a gas turbine entry temperature (TET) increases, thermal loading on first stage blades increases too and therefore, a variety of cooling techniques and thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) are used to maintain the blade temperature within the acceptable limits. In this work a multi-block three dimensional Navier-Stokes commercial turbomachinery oriented CFD-code has been used to compute steady state conjugated heat transfer (CHT) on the blade suction and pressure coated sides of a rotating first inter-stage (nozzle and bucket) with cooling holes of a 60 MW Gas turbine. A Spallart Allmaras model was used for modeling the turbulence. Convection and radiation were modeled for a super alloy blade with and without TBC. The CFD simulations were configured with a mesh domain of nozzle and bucket inter-stage in order to predict the fluid parameters at inlet and outlet of bucket for validate with turbine inter-stage parameter data test of gas turbine manufacturer. The effects of blade surface temperature changes were simulated with both configurations coated and uncoated blades.


Author(s):  
Brian Dotson ◽  
Kent Eshenberg ◽  
Chris Guenther ◽  
Thomas O’Brien

The design of high-efficiency lower-emission coal-fed power plants is facilitated by the extensive use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. This paper describes work conducted at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) and Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center (PSC) to provide an environment for the immersive three-dimensional visualization of CFD simulation results. A low-cost high-resolution projection system has been developed in the visualization lab at NETL. This multi-wall system consists of four projection screens, three of which are tiled into four quadrants. The graphics for the multi-wall system are rendered using a cluster of eight personal computers. A high-level visualization interface named Mavis has also been developed to combine the powerful 3D modules of OpenDX with methods developed at NETL for studying multiphase CFD data. With Python, a completely new OpenDX user interface was built that extends and simplifies the features of a basic graphics library.


Author(s):  
Cosan Daskiran ◽  
Jacob Riglin ◽  
Alparslan Oztekin

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations have been conducted to investigate the performance of a predetermined propeller-based hydrokinetic turbine design in staggered and non-staggered placements for river applications. Actual turbine models were used instead of low fidelity actuator line or actuator disks for CFD simulations to achieve more reliable results. The k-ω Shear Stress Transport (SST) turbulence model was employed to resolve wall effects on turbine surface and to determine wake interactions behind the turbines. The wake interaction behind the upstream turbine causes significant drop on downstream turbine performance within non-staggered configuration. The upstream turbines in both staggered and non-staggered placement offers the same relative power of 0.96, while the relative power for downstream turbine is 0.98 for staggered installment and 0.16 for inline placement.


1989 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 829-844
Author(s):  
A. Soulaïmani ◽  
Y. Ouellet ◽  
G. Dhatt ◽  
R. Blanchet

This paper is devoted to the computational analysis of three-dimensional free surface flows. The model solves the Navier-Stokes equations without any a priori restriction on the pressure distribution. The variational formulation along with the solution algorithm are presented. Finally, the model is used to study the hydrodynamic regime in the vicinity of a projected harbor installation. Key words: free surface flows, three-dimensional flows, finite element method.


2016 ◽  
Vol 120 (1232) ◽  
pp. 1509-1533 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Lütke ◽  
J. Nuhn ◽  
Y. Govers ◽  
M. Schmidt

ABSTRACTThe aerodynamic and structural design of a pitching blade tip with a double-swept planform is presented. The authors demonstrate how high-fidelity finite element (FE) and computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations are successfully used in the design phase. Eigenfrequencies, deformation, and stress distributions are evaluated by means of a three-dimensional (3D) FE model. Unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) simulations are compared to experimental data for a light dynamic stall case atMa= 0.5,Re= 1.2 × 106. The results show a very good agreement as long as the flow stays attached. Tendencies for the span-wise location of separation are captured. As soon as separation sets in, discrepancies between experimental and numerical data are observed. The experimental data show that for light dynamic stall cases atMa= 0.5, a factor of safety ofFoS= 2.0 is sufficient if the presented simulation methods are used.


Author(s):  
Pál Schmitt ◽  
Christian Windt ◽  
Josh Davidson ◽  
John V. Ringwood ◽  
Trevor Whittaker

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations, based on Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) models, are a useful tool for a wide range of coastal and offshore applications, providing a high fidelity representation of the underlying hydrodynamic processes. Generating input waves in the CFD simulation is performed by a numerical wavemaker (NWM), with a variety of different NWM methods existing for this task. While NWMs, based on impulse source methods, have been widely applied for wave generation in depth averaged, shallow water models, they have not seen the same level of adoption in the more general RANS based CFD simulations, due to difficulties in relating the required impulse source function to the resulting free surface elevation for non-shallow water cases. This paper presents an implementation of an impulse source wavemaker, which is able to self-calibrate the impulse source function to produce a desired wave series in deep or shallow water at a specific point in time and space. Example applications are presented, for a numerical wave tank (NWT), based on the opensource CFD software OpenFOAM, for wave packets in deep and shallow water, highlighting the correct calibration of phase and amplitude. Also, the suitability for cases requiring very low reflection from NWT boundaries is demonstrated. Possible issues in the use of the method are discussed and guidance for good application is given.


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