Application of Vortex Bladeless Turbines at the offshore Platform for Sustainable Energy

Abstract

The global demand for sustainable energy is growing rapidly, even in the oil and gas industry. The project largely centered on the extensive conception of vortex technology, energy endurance and the vortex bladeless turbine (VBT) design. In the case of the offshore platform, vortices are generated from both ocean currents and wind flows. These oscillations can be utilized to generate power due to the fluctuations produced by the vortices. Vortex-induced vibration works on the principle of Kármán vortices where a cylindrical or bluff-body shaped object oscillates due to the alternate vortex formation on the boundary layers by adverse fluid pressure. The oscillation depends on the unsteady lift and drag forces generated. This mechanical oscillation is later converted to electrical energy. This work focusses on the capability of VBT energy available around the offshore platform in order to determine the possibility of such utilization to meet the demand needed for these platform activities. These oscillations, it could be harnessed properly, would be able to turn into useful energy to supplement basic platform operations (i.e. lighting, pumps, compressors, heating and ventilations). The computational fluid dynamics simulation CFD ANSYS model was conducted using viscous shear-stress transport SST k-ω turbulence model to simulate the flow path and its oscillations and how the mast design can be optimized (i.e. by adding vortex generators) in order to produce the best possible VBT aerodynamics and hydrodynamics performance hence energy generation. The VBT model was then fabricated and experimentally tested in order to finalize the overall performance. The utilization of carefully designed springs enables the VBT system to oscillate in resonance with the structural natural frequency to generate sufficient power measured by piezoelectric transducers. The performance depends on the followings; frequency and speed of ocean currents and wind flows, depth of water and size of offshore platform, air temperatures and pressures and size and materials of VBT. The main advantage of vortex bladeless turbine is it has both wind and ocean flow vibrations. There are no moving components, such as gears, bearings, or the requirement for maintenance, in a VBT making it suitable for a remote offshore application. VBT design has a number of attractive features; self-running and independent, made of lightweight minimal raw materials, environmentally friendly, in addition to its low cost and harmless to the oil and gas offshore operations. The platform also offers existing structural and power facilities for VBT installations. By completing this project, new and important knowledge regarding the ground-breaking advancement in novel vortex power generation would be gained that inspires new innovative ideas sustainable operation. Energy resource diversity is the key for energy sustainability and moving toward the UAE 2050 vision.