Computational Fluid Dynamics based Performance Optimisation of Vertical Axis Marine Current Turbines

Rapid decrease in the fossil fuels in the last couple of decades has stirred the researchers to find alternative sources for the production of power. Wind and tidal energies are the two most promising alternatives to the fossil fuels. While most of the recent research has been conducted on developing electro-mechanical systems for power production from wind energy, the research regarding the use of the tidal energy for power production is severely limited. In the present study, performance characteristics of an in-house built Darrieus type Vertical Axis Marine Current Turbine have been numerically simulated. An effort has been made to analyse and understand of the complex flow phenomenon occurring in the vicinity of such turbine. Furthermore, the optimisation study has been included for various flow configurations. It has been shown that the optimum operating condition of the vertical axis marine current turbine occurs at a tip speed ratio of 0.17 when the power production from the turbine is at its maximum.