scholarly journals Hydrodynamic Characterisation of a Garman-Type Hydrokinetic Turbine

Fluids ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 186
Author(s):  
Santiago Laín ◽  
Leidy T. Contreras ◽  
Omar D. López

This paper presents a numerical study of the effects of the inclination angle of the turbine rotation axis with respect to the main flow direction on the performance of a prototype hydrokinetic turbine of the Garman type. In particular, the torque and force coefficients are evaluated as a function of the turbine angular velocity and axis operation angle regarding the mainstream direction. To accomplish this purpose, transient simulations are performed using a commercial solver (ANSYS-Fluent v. 19). Turbulent features of the flow are modelled by the shear stress transport (SST) transitional turbulence model, and results are compared with those obtained with its basic version (i.e., nontransitional), hereafter called standard. The behaviour of the power and force coefficients for the various considered tip speed ratios are presented. Pressure and skin friction coefficients on the blades are analysed at each computed turbine angular speed by means of contour plots and two-dimensional profiles. Moreover, the pressure and viscous contributions to the torque and forces experienced by the hydrokinetic turbine are examined in detail. It is demonstrated that the reason behind the higher power coefficient predictions of the transitional turbulence model, close to 6% at maximum efficiency, regarding its standard counterpart, is the smaller computed viscous torque contribution in the former. As a result, the power coefficient of the inclined turbine is around 35% versus the 45% obtained for the turbine with its rotation axis parallel to flow direction.

Author(s):  
Sachin Singh Rawat ◽  
B. V. S. S. S. Prasad

Abstract A detailed three-dimensional steady-state numerical investigation using ANSYS CFX-18.2 on a high-pressure turbine blade with linear cascade is done for tip leakage flow of an axial gas turbine. Stationary casing with a fixed blade having tip gap is considered for the present study. There is leakage flow from the pressure side to the suction side of the blade which consecutively rolls up in the passage and forms the tip leakage vortex. The formation of vortices and their interaction with each other inside the passage is complex which makes experimental investigation difficult. The effect of tip gap size, off-design incidence angles, outlet Mach number, pitch size and flow path (stagger angle) are several parameters considered during the present study. The strength of tip leakage vortex and the vortex formed inside the gap is maximum. The losses are compared in terms of total pressure loss coefficient. The deviation of the flow direction is measured in terms of yaw angle distribution. Among various turbulence model available in CFX 18.2 the BSL k-ω turbulence model shows the most reliable results with experimental data. The results are compared with the base model without the tip gap. This investigation incites a better design of the blade tip with a precise reduction in losses.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nur Alom ◽  
Bikash Kumar Sarkar

Abstract Cross-flow hydro turbines (CFHTs) are generally used in micro hydraulic power plants due to their simplicity in design and fabrication, moderate efficiency, ease of maintenance. The CFHT can be used in low flow and low head conditions with an efficiency of around 90% at rated conditions. However, the efficiency of the CFHT can further be improved by changing its geometric parameters Hence, in the present investigation, 3D unsteady simulations are performed in order to locate the exit blade angle (β2) with the intention is to improve the efficiency of the turbine. In the proposed investigation, the multi-physics FVM solver ANSYS Fluent has been used with the help of the SST k-ω turbulence model to carry out the unsteady simulations. The 3D unsteady simulations are performed by varying the exit blade angle (β2) from 60° to 90° to improve its efficiency when the rotational speed is fixed with the number of blades being 20. From the unsteady simulations, the maximum efficiency of the CFHT is at the exit blade angle (β2) = 80°.


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 5665-5688
Author(s):  
E. Septyaningrum ◽  
R. Hantoro ◽  
I. K. A. P. Utama ◽  
J. Prananda ◽  
G. Nugroho ◽  
...  

Due to its high energy concentration, hydrokinetic energy from tidal and rivers flow provides great expectation. One of the effective ways to meet the energy production target is to reduce the installation and maintenance effort arranging turbines in such configuration, known as hydrokinetic turbine array. The performance of array configuration is affected by turbine position and rotational direction. This research provides a comprehensive analysis of the effect of turbine rotational direction and position on the array performance. The experimental study and URANS simulation were carried out to gain deeper information. This previous study proposed 3 side-by-side configurations, i.e. Co-rotating” (Co), “counter-rotating-in” (CtI) and “counter-rotating-out” (CtO) and the current study proposed 2 multi-row configurations, i.e. 3T-A and 3T-B. The comprehensive information is provided. Both experimental and numerical study confirmed that the velocity superposition in the interaction zone gives the constructive effect on turbine performance. All site-by-site configurations is able to enhance farm effectiveness. Co configuration is recommended to install in the resource having unpredictable flow direction. However, the CtI is for canal or river since it has better performance. The study for multi-row configuration shows that the downstream turbine has performance decrement due to the bad effect of the upstream turbine wake.


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

Three-dimensional steady state Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analyses were performed for a pre-designed micro-hydrokinetic turbine to investigate the blockage ratio effect on turbine performance. Simulations were conducted using a physical turbine rotor geometry rather than low fidelity, simplified actuator disk or actuator lines. The two-equation k-ω Shear Stress Transport (SST) turbulence model was employed to predict turbulence in the flow field. The turbine performance at the best efficiency point was studied for blockage ratios of 0.49, 0.70 and 0.98 for three different free stream velocities of 2.0 m/s, 2.25 m/s and 2.5 m/s. Distinct blockage ratio results at a free stream velocity of 2.25 were compared to a previous numerical study incorporating the same rotor geometry within an infinite flowing medium. The pressure gradient between turbine upstream and turbine downstream for blocked channel flows elevated the turbine performance. The increment in blockage ratio from 0.03 to 0.98 enhanced power coefficient from 0.437 to 2.254 and increased power generation from 0.56 kW to 2.86 kW for the present study.


2015 ◽  
Vol 138 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
B. V. N. Ramakumar ◽  
J. D. Arsha ◽  
Praveen Tayal

Insertion of twisted tapes in smooth channels is one of the passive methods used for enhancing heat transfer. Flow and associated heat transfer characteristics of these channels are very complex. Understanding this complex flow is helpful while designing new passive methods. Numerical methods like computational fluid dynamics (CFD) are gaining much popularity for analyzing and designing these heat transfer enhancement techniques. This paper focuses on such a numerical study. The preliminary study is focused on development of numerical methodology through validation. Successive studies are aimed at development of an innovative design for twisted tape. Twisted tapes with taper angle (tapered twisted tapes, i.e., tape width decreases along the flow direction) are developed and evaluated on the basis of the performance of these tapes with those of conventional tapes. A circular tube with tapered twisted tape with a twist ratio of 3 and taper angles of 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, and 0.7 is considered for this study along with a plain tube. Three Reynolds numbers (Re) of 8545, 11393, and 13333 are considered to examine the sensitivity of the performance. Simulations are performed with a commercially available CFD tool, ansys fluent (v14.0). Heat transfer and pressure drop results are presented in the form of Nusselt number (Nu), friction factor (f), and overall enhancement ratio (η). An increase of 17% in overall enhancement is predicted with taper angle of 0.5.


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 6036-6058
Author(s):  
Ramirez D. ◽  
Rubio-Clemente A. ◽  
E. Chica

Hydrokinetic turbines are one of the technological alternatives to generate and supply electricity for rural communities isolated from the national electrical grid with almost zero emission. The Darrieus turbine is one of the options that can be used as a hydrokinetic turbine due to its high power coefficient (Cp) and easy manufacture. In the present work, the design and hydrodynamic analysis of a Darrieus vertical-axis hydrokinetic turbine of 500 W was carried out. A free stream velocity of 1.5 m/s was used for the design of the blades. The diameter (D) and blade length (H) of the turbine were 1.5 m and 1.13 m, respectively. The blade profile used was NACA0025 with a chord length of 0.33 m and solidity () of 0.66. Two (2D) and three dimensional (3D) numerical analyses of the unsteady flow through the blades of the turbine were performed using ANSYS Fluent version 18.0, which is based on a Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) model. A transient 2D simulation was conducted for several tip speed ratios (TSR) using a k-ω Shear Stress Transport turbulence (SST) scheme. The optimal TSR was found to be around 1.75. Main hydrodynamic parameters, such as torque (T) and CP, were investigated. Additionally, 3 geometrical configurations of the turbine rotor were studied using a 3D numerical model in order to identify the best configuration with less Cp and T fluctuation. The maximum Cp average was 0.24 and the amplitude of Cp variation, near 0.24 for the turbine model with 3 blades of H equal to 1.13 m. On the other hand, for the turbine models with 6 and 9 blades of H equal to 0.565 m and 0.377 m, respectively, the maximum Cp averages were 0.51 and 0.55, respectively, and the amplitude of Cp variation, near 0.07 for the model with 6 blades and 0.17 for the model with 9 blades. This revealed that the hydrokinetic turbine with a geometrical configuration of 6 blades greatly improves the performance of the turbine due to this model has advantages compared to models with 3 and 9 blades, in terms of the reduction of their T curve fluctuation.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 70-79
Author(s):  
Anastas Todorov Yangyozov ◽  
Damjanka Stojanova Dimitrova ◽  
Lazar Georgiev Panayotov

A small turbine, working with air and water to generate electricity, was designed and its performance was reported in this paper. The rotor diameter is 150mm. The numerical calculations of the power coefficient, torque, and tip speed ratio of turbine were carried out for a wide range of inlet velocities. The flow passing through the turbine was investigated with commercial CFD code ANSYS CFX 18


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-53
Author(s):  
Abbas Jassem Jubear ◽  
Ali Hameed Abd

The heat sink with vertically rectangular interrupted fins was investigated numerically in a natural convection field, with steady-state heat transfer. A numerical study has been conducted using ANSYS Fluent software (R16.1) in order to develop a 3-D numerical model.  The dimensions of the fins are (305 mm length, 100 mm width, 17 mm height, and 9.5 mm space between fins. The number of fins used on the surface is eight. In this study, the heat input was used as follows: 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, and 120 watts. This study focused on interrupted rectangular fins with a different arrangement and angle of the fins. Results show that the addition of interruption in fins in various arrangements will improve the thermal performance of the heat sink, and through the results, a better interruption rate as an equation can be obtained.


Author(s):  
Alexander Vakhrushev ◽  
Abdellah Kharicha ◽  
Ebrahim Karimi-Sibaki ◽  
Menghuai Wu ◽  
Andreas Ludwig ◽  
...  

AbstractA numerical study is presented that deals with the flow in the mold of a continuous slab caster under the influence of a DC magnetic field (electromagnetic brakes (EMBrs)). The arrangement and geometry investigated here is based on a series of previous experimental studies carried out at the mini-LIMMCAST facility at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR). The magnetic field models a ruler-type EMBr and is installed in the region of the ports of the submerged entry nozzle (SEN). The current article considers magnet field strengths up to 441 mT, corresponding to a Hartmann number of about 600, and takes the electrical conductivity of the solidified shell into account. The numerical model of the turbulent flow under the applied magnetic field is implemented using the open-source CFD package OpenFOAM®. Our numerical results reveal that a growing magnitude of the applied magnetic field may cause a reversal of the flow direction at the meniscus surface, which is related the formation of a “multiroll” flow pattern in the mold. This phenomenon can be explained as a classical magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) effect: (1) the closure of the induced electric current results not primarily in a braking Lorentz force inside the jet but in an acceleration in regions of previously weak velocities, which initiates the formation of an opposite vortex (OV) close to the mean jet; (2) this vortex develops in size at the expense of the main vortex until it reaches the meniscus surface, where it becomes clearly visible. We also show that an acceleration of the meniscus flow must be expected when the applied magnetic field is smaller than a critical value. This acceleration is due to the transfer of kinetic energy from smaller turbulent structures into the mean flow. A further increase in the EMBr intensity leads to the expected damping of the mean flow and, consequently, to a reduction in the size of the upper roll. These investigations show that the Lorentz force cannot be reduced to a simple damping effect; depending on the field strength, its action is found to be topologically complex.


Author(s):  
Alessandro Bianchini ◽  
Francesco Balduzzi ◽  
Giovanni Ferrara ◽  
Lorenzo Ferrari

The assessment of robust CFD techniques is casting new light on the aerodynamics of airfoils rotating around an axis orthogonal to flow direction, with particular reference to flow curvature effects and stall mechanisms. In particular, Darrieus wind turbines’ designers are taking profit from these new discovers to improve the aerodynamic design of the rotors, in view of an increase of the overall efficiency and a reduction of the structural stresses on the blades. A controversial design parameter for Darrieus turbines, especially in case of small-size rotors, is represented by the location of the blade-spoke connection along the chord. The most common solution is indeed to place the connection at approximately airfoil’s quarter chord, i.e. where the pressure center is commonly located for low incidence angles. In some cases, however, the blade is connected at middle chord due to symmetry or aesthetic reasons. In some small turbines, innovative designs have even disregarded this parameter. Even if one can argue that the blade connection point is about to have some aerodynamic effects on the turbine’s performance, the real impact of this important design parameter is often not fully understood. The present study makes use of extensive CFD simulations on a literature case study, using a NACA 0021 airfoil, to assess the influence of the blade-spoke connection point. In particular, the differences in terms of power coefficient curve of the turbine, optimal tip-speed ratio, torque profiles and stresses on the connection are analyzed and discussed. Detailed flow analyses are also shown for azimuthal positions of particular interest. Results on the selected case study showed that the middle-chord blade-spoke connection point seems to guarantee a higher performance of the rotor, even if additional solicitation is applied to the connection itself. It is further shown that the same performance can indeed be obtained with the airfoil attached at quarter chord and properly pitched. By doing so, the stresses are contained and the performance is maximized.


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