Design of Ocean Current Blade Turbine 100 kW using Hydrodynamics Simulation Approach

Abstract

National electricity consumed continues to rise by up to 6.4 % per year, which are not comparable with the availability of fossil fuels as a primary energy coal-fired power plant in Indonesia. Utilization of ocean energy in particular flow energy has performed as one of the primary energy options. Tides are responsible for the renewable energy of ocean currents. Changes in flow velocity of ocean water due to the ups and downs of ocean water can be used as the primary energy to drive turbines and generate electricity. This study investigates the ocean current power plant in Indonesia that relates to the characteristics of the ocean current. The data used for this research belonged to R&D Center Marine Geology (PPPGL) from ocean current data in the Toyapakeh, Pantar, Larantuka, Molo, Boleng and Gam strait. This study looked at both the technical and socioeconomic aspects of the six locations mentioned above. Larantuka strait had the greatest potential for ocean currents in the strait. The turbine was designed using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), with a capacity of 100 kW for the Horizontal Axis turbine. The findings demonstrated that the turbine design could produce electrical energy at low ocean current speeds (cut-in speed) of 0.3 m/s, and that the rotor power generated at ocean current speeds of 2.2 m/s approached the design capacity of 100 kW.