One-Dimensional Modelling of Marine Current Turbine Runaway Behaviour

Staffan Lundin, Anders Goude and Mats Leijon
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Staffan Lundin: Division of Electricity, Department of Engineering Sciences, Uppsala University, P.O. Box 534, SE-751 21 Uppsala, Sweden
Anders Goude: Division of Electricity, Department of Engineering Sciences, Uppsala University, P.O. Box 534, SE-751 21 Uppsala, Sweden
Mats Leijon: Division of Electricity, Department of Engineering Sciences, Uppsala University, P.O. Box 534, SE-751 21 Uppsala, Sweden

Energies, 2016, vol. 9, issue 5, 1-16

Abstract: If a turbine loses its electrical load, it will rotate freely and increase speed, eventually achieving that rotational speed which produces zero net torque. This is known as a runaway situation. Unlike many other types of turbine, a marine current turbine will typically overshoot the final runaway speed before slowing down and settling at the runaway speed. Since the hydrodynamic forces acting on the turbine are dependent on rotational speed and acceleration, turbine behaviour during runaway becomes important for load analyses during turbine design. In this article, we consider analytical and numerical models of marine current turbine runaway behaviour in one dimension. The analytical model is found not to capture the overshoot phenomenon, while still providing useful estimates of acceleration at the onset of runaway. The numerical model incorporates turbine wake build-up and predicts a rotational speed overshoot. The predictions of the models are compared against measurements of runaway of a marine current turbine. The models are also used to recreate previously-published results for a tidal turbine and applied to a wind turbine. It is found that both models provide reasonable estimates of maximum accelerations. The numerical model is found to capture the speed overshoot well.

Keywords: marine current turbines; tidal turbines; runaway speed (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: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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