Effect of blade parameters and arrangement on the performance of a cross-flow turbine.

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Luis Priegue, Thorsten Stoesser, Stefan Runge

Tuesday 30 june 2015

11:00 - 11:15h at Antarctica (level 0)

Themes: (T) Special session, (ST) Marine renewable energy

Parallel session: 5D. Special session: Marine Renewable Energy

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One of the best choices to take advantage of tidal energy is the deployment of submerged hydrokinetic turbines. The research study reported here focuses on cross-flow, or vertical-axis turbines (VAT), respectively. Experimental test were carried out in the hydraulic laboratory of the Cardiff School of Engineering with the goal to examine various VAT-parameters in order to determine the most efficient set-up and to maximize performance. Parameters investigated include blade shape, pitch angle, number of blades, solidity and degree of twist. The turbines were placed in a 10m long, 1.2m wide, 0.5m deep recirculating flume and was subjected to flow speeds varyinmg between 0.7-1.15m/s. An electrical power take-off system was designed to measure voltage and current and rotational speed was measured using a digital tachometer, which provided the necessary data to plot turbine performance curves. It is found that parameters are interlinked and are all influencing greatly the performance of VATs and hence optimal performance requires a careful selection of the correct combination of parameters.