Tidal Turbulence Modeling
Turbulent flows have strong implications for turbines’ design in highly energetic in-stream tidal sites. The turbulence characterization is crucial where the minor scales increase the fatigue of the turbines by generating continuous vibrations, and the larger scales affect the variation of power and loads. Thus, it is critical to garner highly detailed statistics of the site’s turbulence to aid the turbine designers with essential information on turbulence fatigue loads.
Key objectives of this work:
We are working to develop a high-fidelity large-scale tidal turbulence model based on the 3D ocean model FVCOM 4.3 framework for the Western Passage near Eastport, Maine, a top-ranked U.S. tidal energy site.
NREL deployed different devices such as the Teledyne RDI Workhorse 600 kHz ADCP, Nortek Signature 500 kHz ADCP, and Nortek Vector ADVs equipped with inertial motion units between April and July 2017 to provide motion-corrected flow and turbulence characteristics at a high temporal resolution. We are using these measurements for our 3D model validation.
Another key objective of the work is to investigate the applicability of General Ocean Turbulence Model (GOTM) modules (e.g., MY2.5, k-eps, k-omega, etc.) coupled in FVCOM for this large scale tidal environment.
Ultimately, this work will provide essential information about Western Passage’s flow and turbulence conditions, useful for the turbine deployment site selection and device design.
Relevant journal publication:
- Yang, Z., Wang, T., Xiao, Z., Kilcher, L., Haas, K., Xue, H., and Feng, X. “Modeling Assessment of Tidal Energy Extraction in the Western Passage”, J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 8, 411 (2020).
Relevant conference presentations:
- Fogarty, M., and Kilcher, L. (2020) “Tidal Energy Resource Characterization in the Western Passage, Maine, USA.”, Ocean Sciences Meeting 2020, San Diego, CA.