Effects of the Current Direction on the Energy Production of a Tidal Farm: The Case of Raz Blanchard (France)

Nguyen Van Thinh, Alina Santa Cruz, Sylvain S. Guillou, Mohamad N. Shiekh Elsouk and Jérôme Thiébot
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Nguyen Van Thinh: Faculty of oil and gas, Hanoi University of Mining and Geology, HUMG Duc Thang, Bac Tu Liem, Hanoi 100000, Vietnam
Alina Santa Cruz: Laboratoire Universitaire de Sciences Appliquées de Cherbourg (LUSAC, EA 4253), Normandy University, UNICAEN,60 rue Max Pol Fouchet, CS 20082, 50130 Cherbourg-Octeville, France
Sylvain S. Guillou: Laboratoire Universitaire de Sciences Appliquées de Cherbourg (LUSAC, EA 4253), Normandy University, UNICAEN,60 rue Max Pol Fouchet, CS 20082, 50130 Cherbourg-Octeville, France
Mohamad N. Shiekh Elsouk: Laboratoire Universitaire de Sciences Appliquées de Cherbourg (LUSAC, EA 4253), Normandy University, UNICAEN,60 rue Max Pol Fouchet, CS 20082, 50130 Cherbourg-Octeville, France
Jérôme Thiébot: Laboratoire Universitaire de Sciences Appliquées de Cherbourg (LUSAC, EA 4253), Normandy University, UNICAEN,60 rue Max Pol Fouchet, CS 20082, 50130 Cherbourg-Octeville, France

Energies, 2019, vol. 12, issue 13, 1-20

Abstract: This study aims to investigate the influence of the current direction on the energy production of a tidal turbines array. It is based on a three-dimensional (3D) numerical simulation of the flow where the turbines are represented with actuator disks. The case study consists of modelling the energy extraction of a small array of turbines (staggered and aligned layouts) placed in the Raz Blanchard (Alderney Race, France). The simulations are performed with hydrodynamic data (current magnitude and direction) representative of a mean tide, with several resistance forces and ambient turbulence intensities. The influence of the current direction on the energy production is highlighted by comparing the simulations forced with the real current direction with those in which the angle of incidence between the incoming flow and the turbine’s axis is “switched off” (bi-directional flow). When the flow is aligned with the turbines’ axis (misalignment “switched off”), the staggered layout produces more than the aligned arrangement. Comparison of the two types of simulations (misalignment switched off or not) shows that the misalignment of the flow around a predominant direction reduces the energy produced by the staggered layout and increases the production of the aligned layout. Furthermore, it suggests that the mean energy produced per machine is almost the same for both layouts. Higher turbulence intensity reduces the positive effect of the directional spreading on the aligned layout production and limits the negative effect on the staggered layout production.

Keywords: tidal energy converter; tidal farm; actuator disk; misalignment; computational fluid dynamics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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