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On the arrangement of tidal turbines in rough and oscillatory channel flow

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2019

P. A. J. Bonar Open the ORCID record for P. A. J. Bonar [Opens in a new window] ,
L. Chen ,
A. M. Schnabl ,
V. Venugopal ,
A. G. L. Borthwick  and
T. A. A. Adcock Open the ORCID record for T. A. A. Adcock [Opens in a new window]
P. A. J. Bonar*
Affiliation:
School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FB, UK Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PJ, UK
L. Chen
Affiliation:
Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PJ, UK
A. M. Schnabl
Affiliation:
Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PJ, UK
V. Venugopal
Affiliation:
School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FB, UK
A. G. L. Borthwick
Affiliation:
School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FB, UK
T. A. A. Adcock
Affiliation:
Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PJ, UK
*
†Email address for correspondence: p.bonar@ed.ac.uk
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Abstract

Fast tidal streams are a promising source of clean, predictable power, but the task of arranging tidal turbines for maximum power capture is complicated. Actuator disc models, such as the two-scale actuator disc theory, have proven useful in seeking optimal turbine arrangements, yet these models assume flows that are frictionless and steady, and thus quite unlike the channel flow conditions that actual tidal turbines experience. In this paper, we use numerical methods to relax these assumptions and explore how optimal turbine arrangements change as the flow transitions from frictionless and steady to rough and oscillatory. In so doing, we show that, under certain conditions, the assumption of quasi-steady flow in models of tidal turbines may neglect leading-order physics. When the ratio of drag to inertial forces in the unexploited channel is very low, for instance, the optimal turbine arrangements are found to be quite different, and the potential for enhanced power capture is found to be much greater than predicted by two-scale actuator disc theory.

JFM classification

Waves/Free-surface Flows: Channel flow Geophysical and Geological Flows: Coastal engineering Geophysical and Geological Flows: Shallow water flows
Type
JFM Papers
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 865 , 25 April 2019 , pp. 790 - 810
Copyright
© 2019 Cambridge University Press 

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