Oscillating-Foil Turbine Performance Improvement by the Addition of Double Gurney Flaps and Kinematics Optimization

Benoît Genest and Guy Dumas ()
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Benoît Genest: CFD Laboratory LMFN, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Laval University, 1065 Avenue de la Médecine, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
Guy Dumas: CFD Laboratory LMFN, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Laval University, 1065 Avenue de la Médecine, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 6, 1-18

Abstract: Refinement of the performance of a fully constrained oscillating-foil turbine is carried out via the addition of passive double Gurney flaps. Flaps ranging from h GF = 0.005 c to 0.075 c are added at the trailing edge of the NACA 0015 blade of turbines operating in high-efficiency regimes without leading-edge vortex shedding (LEVS). Performance improvements are determined using 2D numerical simulations with an unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (URANS) approach. Based on a recent study of the double Gurney flaps on stationary foils, instantaneous power-extraction coefficients are analyzed and modifications of the foil’s kinematics are tested in order to fully benefit from the Gurney flaps’ performance improvements. Modifications to the pivot point location of the foil, to the pitch-heave phase, and to the pitching amplitude of the turbine are considered. Improvements are found for all turbine cases studied, including some of the previously optimal cases reported in the literature. The double Gurney flaps, being a simple and passive device, offer great practical application potential. They represent an efficient refinement to already robust and high-performance oscillating-foil turbines operating without the perceived benefit of leading-edge vortex shedding, an essential characteristic for actual, finite-span applications.

Keywords: oscillating-foil turbine; Gurney flap; CFD; URANS (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: 2023
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