A numerical study on the hydrodynamics of a floating tidal rotor under the combined effects of currents and waves

Zilic de Arcos, Federico; Vogel, Christopher R.; Willden, Richard H.J.

doi:10.1016/j.oceaneng.2023.115612

Ocean Engineering

2023

DOI: 10.1016/j.oceaneng.2023.115612

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A numerical study on the hydrodynamics of a floating tidal rotor under the combined effects of currents and waves

Federico Zilic de Arcos,

Christopher R. Vogel,

Richard H.J. Willden

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2024

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Cited by 3 publications

References 29 publications

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Sheared turbulent flows and wake dynamics of an idled floating tidal turbine

Lieber,

Fraser,

Coles

et al. 2024

Nat Commun

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Ocean energy extraction is on the rise. While tides are the most predictable amongst marine renewable resources, turbulent and complex flows still challenge reliable tidal stream energy extraction and there is also uncertainty in how devices change the natural environment. To ensure the long-term integrity of emergent floating tidal turbine technologies, advances in field measurements are required to capture multiscale, real-world flow interactions. Here we use aerial drones and acoustic profiling transects to quantify the site- and scale-dependent complexities of actual turbulent flows around an idled, utility-scale floating tidal turbine (20 m rotor diameter, D). The combined spatial resolution of our baseline measurements is sufficiently high to quantify sheared, turbulent inflow conditions (reversed shear profiles, turbulence intensity >20%, and turbulence length scales > 0.4D). We also detect downstream velocity deficits (approaching 20% at 4D) and trace the far-wake propagation using acoustic backscattering techniques in excess of 30D. Addressing the energy-environment nexus, our oceanographic lens on flow characterisation will help to validate multiscale flow physics around offshore energy platforms that have thus far only been simulated.

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Sheared turbulent flows and wake dynamics of an idled floating tidal turbine

Lieber,

Fraser,

Coles

et al. 2024

Nat Commun

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Decomposition and prediction of hydrodynamic loads on a floating counter-rotating tidal turbine under surge motion

Sun,

Miao,

Wang

et al. 2024

Physics of Fluids

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In the actual marine environment, the hydrodynamic characteristics of floating counter-rotating tidal turbines (FCRTTs) are influenced by the motion responses of their carrier platforms. Therefore, accurately analyzing and predicting hydrodynamic loads under the motions of FCRTTs are crucial. In this paper, a fitting formula for hydrodynamic loads of FCRTTs applicable to rotational motion is derived. Then, the effects of surge amplitude, surge frequency, and tip speed ratio on the hydrodynamic loads of an FCRTT are also calculated. It is found that the instantaneous load fluctuation of the rear rotor is more severe than that of the front rotor. However, the average torque of both rotors is similar, which can effectively enhance the operational stability of the FCRTT. Additionally, the hydrodynamic loads are decomposed into average hydrodynamic force, damping force, and added mass force based on the least squares method. A fitting formula for the hydrodynamic loads applicable to different surge conditions is derived, incorporating 11 hydrodynamic coefficients. The results indicate that the damping coefficients nP0 and nT0 play a dominant role in the fluctuation amplitude of the hydrodynamic loads. Finally, an effective and fast prediction model for various hydrodynamic coefficients is successfully established using the three-dimensional radial basis function. The relative errors between the predicted peak values of all performance coefficients and the values calculated using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method are within −3.5%. This paper provides important guidance for engineering design and load prediction of FCRTTs. Moreover, the predictive methodology can be extended for application to other single-degree-of-freedom and couple motions.

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Energy Flux Method for Wave Energy Converters

Scarlett,

McNatt,

Henry

et al. 2024

Energies

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Hydrodynamic tools reveal information as to the behaviour of a device in the presence of waves but provide little information on how to improve or optimise the device. With no recent work on the transfer of power (energy flux) from a wave field through the body surface of a wave energy converter (WEC), we introduce the energy flux method to map the flow of power. The method is used to develop an open-source tool to visualise the energy flux density on a WEC body surface. This energy flux surface can also be used to compute the total power capture by integrating over the surface. We apply the tool to three WEC classes: a heaving cylinder, a twin-hulled hinged barge, and pitching surge devices. Using the flux surfaces, we investigate power efficiency in terms of power absorbed to power radiated. We visualise the hydrodynamic consequence of sub-optimal damping. Then, for two pitching surge devices with similar resonant peaks, we reveal why one device has a reduced power performance in a wave spectrum compared to the other. The results show the effectiveness of the energy flux method to predict power capture compared to motion-based methods and highlight the importance of assessing the flux of energy in WECs subjected to different damping strategies. Importantly, the tool can be adopted for a wide range of applications, from geometry optimisation and hydrodynamic efficiency assessment to structural design.

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A numerical study on the hydrodynamics of a floating tidal rotor under the combined effects of currents and waves

Cited by 3 publications

References 29 publications

Sheared turbulent flows and wake dynamics of an idled floating tidal turbine

Sheared turbulent flows and wake dynamics of an idled floating tidal turbine

Decomposition and prediction of hydrodynamic loads on a floating counter-rotating tidal turbine under surge motion

Energy Flux Method for Wave Energy Converters

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