Session: VIB-04-01: Energy Harvesting I

Paper Number: 90687

90687 - The Effect of the Hydrodynamic Center Location on the Hydraulic Efficiency of an Axial-Flow Water Turbine 

The output power performance of an axial-flow hydrokinetic turbine with different hydrodynamic center locations is presented. The design of the turbine is proposed by applying the Blade Element Momentum (BEM) theory in the beginning. In order to attain the greatest performance of a turbine, higher lift-to-drag hydrofoil is to be selected. The blade of the turbine is modeled by a commercial software, Solidworks. Afterwards, to evaluate the performance of the turbine, numerical simulation by use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method is performed, coupled with Multiple Reference Frame (MRF) technique. A commercial code, ANSYS Fluent, is put in use. In addition, the grid independence convergence test is carried out. Then, validation of present work is performed. The preliminary numerical calculation result is compared with the water channel experiment conducted by a previous research work. Posterior to the validation, the operation parameter of the aerodynamic center is studied. From the numerical prediction, it is concluded that among the selected location, the upper farthest location can generate the greatest power, while the location that is the closest to the hub center generate the least power. It is also found that the different location brings about the change of the velocity and pressure field, and consequently the blade torque and power yield is influenced.

Presenting Author: Hsing-Nan Wu Virginia Tech

Presenting Author Biography: Dept of Information Management, National Central University, Taoyuan, Taiwan<br/>Dept of Environmental Science and Engineering, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan<br/>Dept of Marine Environment and Engineering, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Authors:

Hsing-Nan Wu Virginia Tech
Shanab Belal Virginia Tech / NSYSU
Eric Cysper Virginia Tech
Jiajun Zhang Virginia Tech
Bang-Fuh Chen National Sun Yat-sen University
Lei Zuo Virginia Tech