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

在蓬勃发展的潮汐能和水动力能领域，加拿大凭借其示范和技术孵化器试验场发挥着主导作用。它在创新的流体动力涡轮机概念的开发和设计方面也相当活跃，其中振荡翼涡轮机（OWT）技术非常有前途。与大多数其他技术相比，它更适合浅水场地，在使用非常简单的无扭曲矩形水翼的同时，它提供了很高的能量提取效率。在串联或并联配置中，当浸没在水流中时，使水翼在垂直平面内上下振荡。 该研究计划基于计算流体动力学（CFD）研究，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，旨在提供支持OWT技术的基本流体动力学数据。寻求涡轮机设计及其操作参数的效率优化以及用于其有效部署的适当流体动力学准则。这包括扰动的重要影响，真实的水流条件和自由表面的影响，人们可能会期望在河流和潮汐河口。与多单元阵列的部署有关的水动力问题也得到了解决，如涡轮机干扰和阻塞效应。至少有6名研究生将接受培训，并为这项研究做出贡献，以及5名本科生研究助理。 从经济角度来看，使OWT及其开发更有效，使这种能源更具吸引力。因此，这项研究促进了加拿大新的可持续，生态友好型能源生产来源的增长，以及具有巨大出口潜力的创新技术的出现。

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.