Nature inspired design modification of fluidic diode for wave energy harvesting device

Abstract

A fluidic diode (FD) coupled with the unidirectional turbine (UT) can improve its flow rectification operating in a bi-directional airflow. However, the shape of the FD is not standardized like other fluidic components, and they are usually problem-specific. The performance of the FD is given by diodicity, which is the ratio of pressure drop for the reverse to forward direction. This article aims to improve the performance of the FD proposed for wave energy application by modifying its shape, which is inspired by the bud of the lotus flower. The modified model is numerically studied by solving three-dimensional steady-state Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes equations using the commercial computational fluid dynamics software ANSYS FLUENT 16.2. The proposed modification had a lesser pressure drop in both directions compared to the base model. The detailed flow physics and performance analysis of the modified FD are presented.