CFD Investigation of a Hybrid Wells Turbine with Passive Flow Control

Mohammad Nasim Uddin, Michael Atkinson () and Frimpong Opoku
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Mohammad Nasim Uddin: Department of Mechanical Engineering, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA
Michael Atkinson: Department of Mechanical Engineering, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA
Frimpong Opoku: Senior Structural Engineer, Collins Aerospace, 190 Oak Plaza Blvd, Winston-Salem, NC 27105, USA

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 9, 1-28

Abstract: In the past decade, there has been renewed interest in wave energy harvesting utilizing oscillating water columns (OWC), one of the most well-studied wave energy harnessing technologies. In the OWC, pneumatic power from ocean waves is converted to mechanical energy by Wells turbines. It should be noted, however, that such turbines tend to perform poorly, have a limited operating range, and have low efficiency. In the present study, we incorporate a rectangular Gurney flap (GF) at the trailing edge (TE) of a Wells turbine consisting of hybrid airfoil (NACA 0015 and NACA 0025) blades with variable chord distribution along the span. This passive flow control mechanism was adopted to achieve increased power production by the Wells turbine. This study aimed to determine the aerodynamic performance of the variable chord turbine with GF compared to a turbine with a constant chord. By using ANSYS™ CFX, the three-dimensional, steady-state, incompressible Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations coupled with the k-ω SST turbulence model are solved. The performance was evaluated through the use of non-dimensional coefficients of torque, pressure drop, and efficiency. In addition, the numerical accuracy was achieved through a grid independence study. There was a good agreement between the computed results and the available experimental and numerical data. The GF increased the torque coefficient by 18.6% and 47.3% but with the expense of peak efficiency of 8.5% and 7.4% for the baseline and the hybrid turbine, respectively. Additionally, the hybrid turbine with GF delayed the onset of the stall by ~3° angle of attack (AOA).

Keywords: wave energy; Wells turbine; Gurney flap; CFD; RANS; turbulence; blade stall (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
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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