Author(s): Y-H Lee; C-G Kim; Y-D Choi; I-S Kim; Y-C Hwang

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Keywords: Direct drive hydro turbine; Wave power; Turbine efficiency; CFD analysis

Abstract: Clean and renewable energy technologies using ocean energy give us non-polluting alternatives to fossil-fueled power plants as a countermeasure against the global warming and growing demand for electrical energy. Among the ocean energy resources, wave power takes a growing interest because of its enormous amount of potential energy in the world. Therefore, various types of wave power system to capture the energy of ocean waves have been developed. However, suitable turbine type is not normalized yet because of relatively low efficiency of the turbine systems. The purpose of this study is to investigate the performance of a newly developed direct drive hydro turbine (DDT), which will be built in a caisson for wave power plant. Experiment and CFD analysis are conducted to clarify the turbine performance and internal flow characteristics. The results show that the DDT obtains fairly good turbine efficiency in both cases of with wave and no wave conditions. As the turbine performance is influenced considerably by the wave condition, designed point of the turbine should be determined according to the wave condition at an expected installation site. Most of the output power generates at the runner passage of the Stage 2.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/12/1/012029

Year: 2010