Design of Composite Water Turbine in Free Stream Using CFD

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to investigate the performance of composite material axial water turbines in a free stream using Fluent, a Finite Volume based commercial CFD package. Based on three dimensional numerical flow analysis and fluid-structure interaction, the flow characteristics of water turbines including a nozzle, impeller and diffuser are predicted. The extracted power coefficient is calculated for water turbines of different tip speed ratios in a free stream of water with inlet velocity of 2.5m/s. The extracted powers of one single turbine unit and an array with ten turbine units are analyzed and compared for different rotating speeds and water inlet velocities. The calculated results will provide a fundamental understanding of the impeller as a water turbine, and this design method is used to shorten the design process and improve the water turbine’s performance.

Numerical investigation on composite material marine current turbine using CFD

“…Most marine creatures will be able to pass through the center of the CMMCT avoiding the blades [9], which is promising in terms of the environmental considerations compared to traditional current turbines. Using continuous filamentwound Kevlar®reinforced composite to fabricate the essential components of the CMMCT, the new wheel has significant advantages over more traditional designs:…”