Numerical Analysis of Tidal Turbine Performance for Floating Platform

A three dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model solving Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations with k-ε turbulence model has been developed based on OpenFoam to investigate a tidal turbine performance. The CFD model is validated by comparing the simulation results with the performance characteristic data. Simulation results match the measured data with discrepancies less than 5.4%. The well validated model is then adopted to predict the turbine performance with a current heading angle of 30 degree. The simulated turbine power coefficient and flow field details from OpenFoam are compared with those obtained from commercial software ANSYS FLUENT for verification. The two simulated results match each other with a difference of only 3%. Simulated results indicate that the turbine power output drops significantly when the tidal turbine operates with a current heading angle of 30 degree. The performance loss due to a misalignment between the current and the turbine axis is analyzed with the aim to identify main causes and provide recommendations to tidal turbine operation.