Practical Numerical Analysis of Impulse Turbine for OWC=type Wave Energy Conversion Using a Commercial CFD Code

Abstract

This paper deals with the performance analysis of impulse turbine for OWC type wave energy conversion device. Numerical analysis was performed using a commercially-available software FLUENT. This parametric study includes the variation of the tip clearance and the setting angle of guide vane. Since parametric study at various flow coefficients requires tremendous amounts of computing time, two-dimensional cascade flow approximation was employed to find out optimum principal particulars in rather simple manner. Full three-dimensional calculation was also performed for several cases to confirm the validity of two-dimensional approach. Results were compared to other experimental data, for instance Setoguchi et al (2001)'s extensive set of data, and found to be well demonstrating the usefulness of 2-D analysis. Advantages and disadvantages of each method were also evaluated