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

在蓬勃发展的潮汐和流体动能领域，加拿大凭借其示范和技术孵化器试验场发挥着主导作用。它还非常积极地开发和设计创新的水力涡轮概念，其中振荡翼涡轮(OWT)技术非常有前途。与大多数其他技术相比，它更适合于浅水场所，在使用非常简单的非扭曲矩形水翼的同时，提供了高能量提取效率。在串联或并联结构中，水翼在水流中沿垂直平面上下摆动。本研究项目基于计算流体力学(CFD)研究，涉及六个具体项目。它极大地利用了加拿大计算机公司的超级计算机基础设施，旨在提供基本的水动力数据，以支持OWT技术。寻求涡轮机设计和运行参数的效率优化，以及为其有效部署制定适当的流体力学指南。这包括受扰动的真实水流条件的重要影响，以及人们可能在河流和潮汐河口预期的自由面效应。还讨论了与部署多单元阵列有关的水动力问题，如涡轮机干扰和堵塞效应。至少6名研究生将接受培训，并为这项研究做出贡献，还有5名本科生研究助理。从经济的角度来看，使OWT及其开发更有效率，使这种能源更具吸引力。这样做，这项研究因此促进了加拿大新的可持续、生态友好的能源生产来源的增长，并促进了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.