Influence of different parameters on numerical simulation of vertical-axis marine current turbine based on OpenFOAM

Using the PimpleDyMFoam solver in open-source computing software OpenFOAM,based on the SST k-ωturbulence model and PIMPLE algorithm,a numerical simulation method of vertical-axis marine current turbines(VMCTs)is proposed,and the calculated results are compared with the experimental results.The results show that the numerical simulation method is feasible.Compared with other commercial softwares,this method has the advantages of higher solution efficiency and greater flexibility.According to the needs of users,the solver can be built on the basis of original code,and the corresponding discrete method can be optimized.This method can achieve optimization algorithms,save time and cost,etc.Secondly,the effects of different parameters(mesh density,time step,the selection of sidewall boundary conditions and inlet turbulence intensity)on numerical simulation of the VMCT are studied in detail.The findings summarize an effective CFD simulation strategy based on OpenFOAM and provide a valuable reference for future CFD simulations of VMCTs.

Numerical Investigation of Contra Rotating Vertical-Axis Tidal-Current Turbine

In this study,the performance of a contra rotating vertical-axis tidal-current turbine was investigated.The incompressible unsteady Reynolds-averagedNavier-Stokes(U-RANS)equations were solved via two-dimensional(2D)numerical simulation using ANSYS Fluent computational fluid dynamics(CFD)code.An algorithm known as SIMPLE from the CFD code was used to calculate the pressure-velocity coupling and second-order finite-volume discretization for all the transport equations.The base turbine model was validated using the available experimental data.Three given scenarios for the contra rotating turbine were modeled.The contra rotating turbine performs better in a low tip speed ratio(TSR)than in a high TSR operation.In a high TSR operation,the contra rotating turbine inefficiently operates,surviving to rotate in the chaotic flow distribution.Thus,it is recommended to use contra rotating turbine as a part of new design to increase the performance of a vertical-axis tidal-current turbine with a lower TSR.

Cenozoic Vertical-Axis Rotations of the Hoh Xil Basin, Central–Northern Tibet

Understanding the Cenozoic vertical-axis rotation in the Tibetan Plateau is crucial for continental dynamic evolution. Paleomagnetic and rock magnetic investigations were carried out for the Oligocene and Miocene continental rocks of the Hoh Xii basin in order to better understand the tectonic rotations of central Tibet. The study area was located in the Tongtianhe area located in the southern part of the Hoh Xil basin and northern margin of the Tanggula thrust system in central-northern Tibet. A total of 160 independently oriented paleomagnetic samples were drilled from the Tongtianhe section for this study. The magnetic properties of magnetite and hematite have been recognized by measurements of magnetic susceptibility vs. temperature curves and unbiocking temperatures. The mean directions of the Oligocene Yaxicuo Group in stratigraphic coordinates （Declination/Inclination = 354.9°/29.3°, k = 33.0, a9s = 13.5°, N =5 Sites） and of the Miocene Wudaoliang Group in stratigraphic coordinates （Declination/Inclination = 3.60/36.4°, k = 161.0, a9s = 9.7°, N =3 Sites） pass reversal tests, indicating the primary nature of the characteristic magnetizations. Our results suggested that the sampled areas in the Tuotuohe depression of the Hoh Xil basin have undergone no paleomagnetically detectable rotations under single thrusting from the Tanggula thrust system. Our findings, together with constraints from other tectonic characteristics reported by previous paleomagnetic studies, suggest tectonic rotations in the Cuoredejia and Wudaoliang depressions of the Hoh Xil basin were affected by strike-slip faulting of the Fenghuo Shan-Nangqian thrust systems. A closer examination of geological data and different vertical-axis rotation magnitudes suggest the tectonic history of the Hoh Xil basin may be controlled by thrust and strike-slip faulting since the Eocene.

Numerical and Experimental Investigation of Aerodynamic Performance of Vertical-Axis Wind Turbine Models with Various Blade Designs

Due to the importance and advantages of Vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWTs) over traditional horizontal-axis wind turbines (HAWTs), this paper is implemented. Savonius turbines with drag-based rotors are adopted from the two more extensive arrangements of vertical wind turbines because of their advantages. In this paper, six diverse rotor plans with measure up to cleared regions are analyzed with exploratory wind burrow testing and numerical reenactments. These proposed models incorporate a conventional Savonius with two different edges criteria and 90 degree helical bend models with two, three and four sharp edges. The models were designed using SolidWorks software then the physical models were 3D printed for testing. A subsonic open-sort wind burrow was utilized for Revolution per Minute (RPM) and torque estimation over a scope of wind speeds. ANSYS Fluent reenactments were utilized for dissecting streamlined execution by using moving reference outline and sliding lattice display methods. A 3-dimensional and transient strategy was utilized for precisely tackling torque and power coefficients. The five new rotor geometries have important advantages such as making a focal point of weight advance from the hub of revolution and causing more noteworthy torque on the turbine shaft contrasted with the customary Savonius turbine. Our new models with the names of CC model and QM model display cross-areas lessen the aggregate scope of negative torque on the edges by 20 degrees, contrasted with the customary Savonius demonstrate. Helical plans are better spread the connected torque over a total transformation resulting in positive torque over every single operational point. Moreover, helical models with 2 and 3 cutting edges have the best self-starting ability in low wind speeds. Helical VAWT with 3 edges starts revolution of 35 RPM at only 1.4 m/s wind speed under no generator stacking. The most noteworthy power coefficient is accomplished, both tentatively and numerically, by the helical VAWT with 2 sharp edges.

Technology Readiness of a Vertical-Axis Hydro-Kinetic Turbine

In this paper, the development of a vertical axis hydrokinetic twin turbine for harvesting energy from flowing water in man-made channels is described. The Technology Readiness Level (TRL) assessment procedure, developed by NASA and modified by the US Department of Energy, is followed and it is shown that the hydrokinetic turbine successfully reaches TRL 7, which is a full-scale, similar (prototypical) system demonstrated in a relevant environment. The concept of the twin turbine (TRL 1 - 3) is first validated and tested using a 1:10 scale laboratory model at Cardiff University and efficiencies of up to 75% are achieved (TRL 4 - 5). In order to justify system functionality and performance in a relevant environment as well as up-scalability, a 1:3 scale model of the twin turbine is implemented and tested in a discharge channel of a water treatment plant in Atlanta, thereby achieving TRL6. This paved the way for an application in the form of an array of ten full-scale twin turbine prototypes, including all relevant components such as housing, drive-train, gear-box and generator. Successful deployment and testing in the South Boulder Canal near Denver means that the hydrokinetic twin turbine system reached TRL7.

Application of 2D Numerical Model to Unsteady Performance Evaluation of Vertical-Axis Tidal Current Turbine

Abstract Tidal current energy is renewable and sustainable, which is a promising altemative energy resource for the future elec- tricity supply. The straight-bladed vertical-axis turbine is regarded as a useful tool to capture the tidal current energy especially under low-speed conditions. A 2D unsteady numerical model based on Ansys-Fluent 12.0 is established to conduct the numerical simulation, which is validated by the corresponding experimental data. For the unsteady calculations, the SST model, 2x 105 and 0.01 s are se- lected as the proper turbulence model, mesh number, and time step, respectively. Detailed contours of the velocity distributions around the rotor blade foils have been provided for a flow field analysis. The tip speed ratio （TSR） determines the azimuth angle of the appearance of the torque peak, which occurs once for a blade in a single revolution. It is also found that simply increasing the incident flow velocity could not improve the turbine performance accordingly. The peaks of the averaged power and torque coeffi- cients appear at TSRs of 2.1 and 1.8, respectively. Furthermore, several shapes of the duct augmentation are proposed to improve the turbine performance by contracting the flow path gradually from the open mouth of the duct to the rotor. The duct augmentation can significantly enhance the power and torque output. Furthermore, the elliptic shape enables the best performance of the turbine. The numerical results prove the capability of the present 2D model for the unsteady hydrodynamics and an operating performance analy- sis of the vertical tidal stream turbine.

Numerical analysis of the performance of a three-bladed vertical-axis turbine with active pitch control using a coupled unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes and actuator line model

In this paper,we present a numerical model of a vertical-axis turbine(VAT)with active-pitch torque control.The model is based upon the Wind and Tidal Turbine Embedded Simulator(WATTES)and WATTES-V turbine realisations in conjunction with the actuator line method(ALM),and uses OpenFOAM to solve the unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes(URANS)equations with two-equation k-εturbulence closure.Our novel pitch-controlled system is based on an even pressure drop across the entire rotor to mitigate against dynamic stall at low tip speed ratio.The numerical model is validated against experimental measurements and alternative numerical predictions of the hydrodynamic performance of a 1:6 scale UNH-RM2 hydrokinetic turbine.Simulations deploying the variable pitch mechanism exhibit improved turbine performance compared to measured data and fixed zero-pitch model predictions.Near-wake characteristics are investigated by examining the vorticity distribution near the turbine.The pitch-controlled system is demonstrated to theoretically decrease turbulence generated by turbine rotations,mitigate the intensity of vortex shedding and size of detached vortices,and significantly enhance the performance of a vertical-axis hydrokinetic turbine for rated tip-speed ratios.

Effect of additional cylinders on power-extraction performance of a Savonius vertical-axis wind turbine

To improve the power-extraction performance of the Savonius vertical-axis wind turbine(S-VAWT),additional cylinders,which are used to control the fluid flow around the wind turbine blade,were introduced into the blade design.In contrast to the traditional numerical method,a mathematical model in the form of a dynamical system was used in this study.A numerical calculation program that could effectively solve the equations of wind-induced rotation of S-VAWT was developed,and combined with the Taguchi experimental method to investigate the influence of additional cylinders on the power-extraction characteristics of the S-VAWT.The results showed that the additional cylinders have a significant impact on the power-extraction performance of the S-VAWT.At 4-m/s wind speed,the average power coefficient of the S-VAWT with additional cylinders is 15%higher than that of the conventional S-VAWT.After construction of the wind turbine prototype and power-extraction tests,the results showed that compared with a conventional S-VAWT,the output power was 29%higher for the S-VAWT with additional cylinders under the same particular conditions.

Experimental and numerical investigation of the influence of roughness and turbulence on LUT airfoil performance

Vertical-axis wind turbines(VAWTs)have been widely used in urban environments,which contain dust and experience strong turbulence.However,airfoils for VAWTs in urban environments have received considerably less research attention than those for horizontal-axis wind turbines(HAWTs).In this study,the sensitivity of a new VAWT airfoil developed at the Lanzhou University of Technology(LUT)to roughness was investigated via a wind tunnel experiment.The results show that the LUT airfoil is less sensitive to roughness at a roughness height of<0.35 mm.Moreover,the drag bucket of the LUT airfoil decreases with increasing roughness height.Furthermore,the loads on the LUT airfoil during dynamic stall were studied at different turbulence intensities using a numerical method at a tip-speed ratio of 2.Before the stall,the turbulence intensity did not considerably affect the normal or tangential force coefficients of the LUT airfoil.However,after the stall,the normal force coefficient varied obviously at low turbulence intensity.Moreover,as the turbulence intensity increased,the normal and tangential force coefficients decreased rapidly,particularly in the downwind region of the VAWT.

Structural Design Optimization of a Vertical Axis Wind Turbine for Seismic Qualification and Lightweight

Recently, there is a growing interest in seismic qualification of ridges, buildings and mechanical equipment worldwide due to increase of accidents caused by earthquake. Severe earthquake can bring serious problems in the wind turbines and eventually lead to an interruption to their electric power supply. To overcome and prevent these undesirable problems, structural design optimization of a small vertical axis wind turbine has performed, in this study, for seismic qualification and lightweight by using a Genetic Algorithm (GA) subject to some design constraints such as the maximum stress limit, maximum deformation limit, and seismic acceleration gain limit. Also, the structural design optimizations were conducted for the four different initial design variable sets to confirm robustness of the optimization algorithm used. As a result, all the optimization results for the 4 different initial designs showed good agreement with each other properly. Thus the structural design optimization of a small vertical-axis wind turbine could be successfully accomplished.

The influence of Cretaceous paleolatitude variation of the Tethyan Himalaya on the India-Asia collision pattern

Identifying when, where, and how India and Asia collided is a prerequisite to better understand the evolution of the Himalayan-Tibetan Plateau. Whereas with essentially the same published paleomagnetic data, a large range of different India-Asia collision models have been proposed in the literature. Based upon the premise of a northwards-moving Indian plate during the Cretaceous times, we analyze the significant variations in relative paleolatitude produced by a nearly 90° counterclockwise(CCW)rotation of the plate itself during the Cretaceous. Interestingly, recent studies proposed a dual-collision process with a Greater India basin or post-Neo-Tethyan ocean for the India-Asia collision, mainly in the light of divergent Cretaceous paleolatitude differences of the Tethyan Himalaya between the observed values and expected ones computed from the apparent polar wander path of the Indian plate. However, we find that these varied paleolatitude differences are mainly resulted from a nearly 90° CCW rotation of a rigid/quasi-rigid Greater Indian plate during the Cretaceous. On the other hand, when the Indian craton and Tethyan Himalaya moved as two individual blocks rather than a united rigid/quasi-rigid Greater Indian plate before the India-Asia collision, current available Cretaceous paleomagnetic data permit only multiple paleogeographic solutions for the tectonic relationship between the Indian plate and the Tethyan Himalayan terrane. We therefore argue that the tectonic relationship between the Indian plate and the Tethyan Himalayan terrane cannot be uniquely constrained by current paleomagnetic data in the absence of sufficient geological evidence, and the so-called Greater India basin model is just one of the ideal scenarios.