An experimental study of the thrust and power produced by a 1/20th scale tidal turbine utilising blade winglets
An experimental study of the thrust and power produced by a 1/20th scale tidal turbine utilising blade winglets
Winglets have been employed in the aviation industry to reduce vortices generated at aircraft wings, decreasing drag, and hence increasing fuel economy. For rotating applications previous experimental and numerical studies addressed the application for wind turbines and suggested winglets facing backwards on the suction side of a blade could increase the power capture. This paper presents experimental work using a scale 3-bladed horizontal axis tidal turbine. An oil-based paint flow visualisation coupled to blade thrust and torque measurements helped to identify the mechanism behind the phenomenon affecting the performance of winglets facing the suction side of a turbine blade. The results show that on average a winglet facing downstream decreases the power coefficient 1–2% and increases the thrust coefficient up to 6% for tip speed ratios 5.0–7.0. On the other hand, a symmetrically mirrored winglet facing upstream increased the power coefficient by 1–2%, and the thrust coefficient by 3–4%. Winglets have the potential to provide a meaningful increase to power capture at minimal additional capital cost without increasing rotor diameters. Further work to optimize pressure‐side winglets should be conducted.
Marine energy, Renewable energy, Tidal turbine, blades, winglets, Flow visualisation, Winglets, Experimental
Olvera-Trejo, Rodolfo
c26e0eee-8030-4c01-8401-4e8555c24b08
Myers, Luke
b0462700-3740-4f03-a336-dc5dd1969228
Blunden, Luke
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Bahaj, AbuBakr S.
a64074cc-2b6e-43df-adac-a8437e7f1b37
May 2024
Olvera-Trejo, Rodolfo
c26e0eee-8030-4c01-8401-4e8555c24b08
Myers, Luke
b0462700-3740-4f03-a336-dc5dd1969228
Blunden, Luke
28b4a5d4-16f8-4396-825b-4f65639d2903
Bahaj, AbuBakr S.
a64074cc-2b6e-43df-adac-a8437e7f1b37
Olvera-Trejo, Rodolfo, Myers, Luke, Blunden, Luke and Bahaj, AbuBakr S.
(2024)
An experimental study of the thrust and power produced by a 1/20th scale tidal turbine utilising blade winglets.
Renewable Energy, 226, [120413].
(doi:10.1016/j.renene.2024.120413).
Abstract
Winglets have been employed in the aviation industry to reduce vortices generated at aircraft wings, decreasing drag, and hence increasing fuel economy. For rotating applications previous experimental and numerical studies addressed the application for wind turbines and suggested winglets facing backwards on the suction side of a blade could increase the power capture. This paper presents experimental work using a scale 3-bladed horizontal axis tidal turbine. An oil-based paint flow visualisation coupled to blade thrust and torque measurements helped to identify the mechanism behind the phenomenon affecting the performance of winglets facing the suction side of a turbine blade. The results show that on average a winglet facing downstream decreases the power coefficient 1–2% and increases the thrust coefficient up to 6% for tip speed ratios 5.0–7.0. On the other hand, a symmetrically mirrored winglet facing upstream increased the power coefficient by 1–2%, and the thrust coefficient by 3–4%. Winglets have the potential to provide a meaningful increase to power capture at minimal additional capital cost without increasing rotor diameters. Further work to optimize pressure‐side winglets should be conducted.
Text
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Accepted/In Press date: 28 March 2024
e-pub ahead of print date: 1 April 2024
Published date: May 2024
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Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Authors
Keywords:
Marine energy, Renewable energy, Tidal turbine, blades, winglets, Flow visualisation, Winglets, Experimental
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 489239
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/489239
ISSN: 0960-1481
PURE UUID: c79821e9-e97e-4d27-971e-650d54dfeba6
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Date deposited: 18 Apr 2024 16:39
Last modified: 22 May 2024 01:42
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Author:
Rodolfo Olvera-Trejo
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