Oscillating-Foils Hydrokinetic Turbines: Configuration, Operation and Deployment Optimizations through CFD

在蓬勃发展的潮汐能和水动能领域，加拿大以其示范和技术孵化器试验场发挥着主导作用。它在创新水动力涡轮概念的开发和设计方面也相当活跃，其中振荡翼涡轮（OWT）技术很有前途。与大多数其他技术相比，它更适合于浅水区，使用非常简单的未扭曲矩形水翼，可提供高能量提取效率。在串联或并联配置中，水翼在淹没在水流中时在垂直平面上上下摆动。本研究计划以计算流体动力学（CFD）研究为基础，涉及六个具体项目。它充分利用了加拿大计算机公司的超级计算机基础设施，旨在为支持OWT技术提供必要的流体动力学数据。寻求水轮机设计和运行参数的效率优化，以及适当的水动力准则，使其有效部署。这包括扰动的重要影响，实际水流条件和自由表面效应，人们可能期望在河流和潮汐河口。与多单元阵列部署相关的水动力问题也得到了解决，例如涡轮干扰和阻塞效应。至少有6名研究生和5名本科生研究助理将接受培训并参与本研究。从经济角度来看，提高wts及其开发效率使这种能源更具吸引力。这样做，这项研究促进了加拿大新的可持续、环保能源生产来源的增长，并出现了一种具有巨大出口潜力的创新技术。

In the booming sector of tidal and hydrokinetic energy, Canada is playing a leading role with its demonstrator and technology incubator test sites. It is also quite active in the development and design of innovative hydrokinetic turbine concepts among which the Oscillating-Wings Turbine (OWT) technology is quite promising. Better adapted to shallow water sites than most other technologies, it offers high energy extraction efficiency while using very simple untwisted rectangular hydrofoils. In tandem or parallel configurations, the hydrofoils are made to oscillate up and down in a vertical plane when submerged in a water current.This research program is based on computational fluid dynamic (CFD) studies and involves six specific projects. It takes great advantage of the supercomputer infrastructures of Compute Canada and aims to provide essential hydrodynamic data in support of the OWT technology. Efficiency optimization of the turbine design and of its operating parameters is sought as well as proper hydrodynamic guidelines for its efficient deployment. This includes the important effects of perturbed, real water flow conditions and free-surface effects one might expect in rivers and in tidal estuaries. Hydrodynamic issues related to the deployment of multi-units arrays are also addressed such as turbines interference and blockage effects. At least 6 graduate students will be trained and contribute to this research as well as 5 undergraduate research assistants. Making OWTs and their exploitation more efficient makes this energy source more attractive from an economical point of view. Doing so, this research thus promotes the growth of a new sustainable, eco-friendly energy production source for Canada and the emergence of an innovative technology with great export potential.