Establishing the performance implications of employing lower cost methods for the manufacture of large scale tidal turbine rotors (EPICTidal)

目前潮汐涡轮机设计中成本较高的项目之一是转子叶片。该项目旨在评估大直径水平轴潮汐涡轮机(&gt；15 m)采用创新的、节省劳动力的机械化制造工艺的性能影响，这将显著降低其成本。目前的设计实践包括考虑潮汐涡轮机在基本准稳定运行条件下的性能。然而，这一领域的经验表明，在高能量潮汐位置，水流中湍流的水平会对其性能产生负面影响。我们将研究在潮汐湍急的环境中运行的叶片的低成本制造技术与耐受瞬变运行条件的简单设计相结合的可行性。该项目试图确定在流线型施工中涉及对理想基准设计的哪些随之而来的修改，以及此类修改对性能的影响。这项工作将包括理论和实验阶段，将由经验丰富的叶片制造商和测试、设计和分析专家组成的团队进行。位于克兰菲尔德的团队由Joao Amaral-Teixeira博士和Florent Trarieux博士组成，将对选定的几个转子的性能进行评估。该项目将与南安普顿领先的复合材料叶片制造商Designraft Ltd的创始人兼总经理Nick Barlow密切合作，该项目围绕四个阶段展开，包括审查当前的制造技术、新的叶片型线选择、使用叶片元素动量模型进行数值评估以及在三个不同的水箱中进行最先进的水箱测试，这些水箱的尺寸、水流驱动类型和湍流度都在不断增加：克兰菲尔德拖曳水箱、哈斯拉尔拖曳水箱和Boulogne-sur-mer循环渠道。

One of the costlier items in current tidal turbine designs is the rotor blades. This project aims to assess the performance implications of the adoption of innovative, labour-saving, mechanized manufacturing processes for large diameter horizontal axis tidal turbines (>15 m) which could effect a substantial reduction in their cost. Current design practice involves consideration of the performance of tidal turbines in essentially quasi-steady operating conditions. The experience in the field, however, points to the fact that in energetic tidal locations the levels of in-stream turbulence are such as to impact negatively on their performance. The feasibility of combining lower cost manufacturing techniques for blades operating in turbulent tidal environments, with simpler designs which are tolerant of the transient operational conditions will be examined. The project seeks to establish what attendant modifications to an ideal datum design are involved in the streamlined construction and what are the performance implications of such modifications. The work will involve theoretical and experimental phases and will be carried out by a practised team of blade manufacturers and testing, design and analysis specialistsThe team in Cranfield composed of Dr Joao Amaral-Teixeira and Dr Florent Trarieux will undertake the assessment of the performance of a selection of proposed rotors. This project will be undertaken in close collaboration with Nick Barlow, Founder and Managing Director of Southampton based leading composite blade manufacturer, Designcraft Ltd. The project is articulated around four phases of review of current manufacturing techniques, novel blade profile selection, numerical assessment using Blade Element Momentum models and state-of-the-art tank tests in three different tanks of increasing size, flow actuation type and turbulence levels: Cranfield Towing Tank, Haslar Towing Tank and Boulogne-sur-mer Circulation Channel.