Numerical Simulations and Experimental Tests for Tailored Tidal Turbine Design

This paper outlines the design and testing of a horizontal-axis tidal turbine (HATT) at a scale of 1:20, employing numerical simulations and experimental validation. The design employed an in-house code based on the Blade Element Momentum (BEM) theory. As reliable lift and drag coefficients for this scale are not present in the literature due to the low Reynolds number of the airfoil, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations were conducted to generate accurate polar diagrams for the NACA 4412 airfoil. The turbine was then 3D-printed and the rotor tested in a subsonic wind tunnel at various fixed rotational speeds to determine the power coefficient. Fluid dynamic similarity was achieved by matching the Reynolds number and tip-speed ratio in air to their values in water. Three-dimensional CFD simulations were also performed, yielding turbine efficiency results that agreed fairly well with the experimental data. However, both the experimental and numerical simulation results indicated a higher power coefficient than that predicted by BEM theory. The CFD results revealed the presence of radial velocity components and vortex structures that could reduce flow separation. The BEM model does not capture these phenomena, which explains why the power coefficient detected by experiments and numerical simulations is larger than that predicted by the BEM theory.