Thesis
Design of horizontal axis tidal turbines for less energetic currents
- Creator
- Rights statement
- Awarding institution
- University of Strathclyde
- Date of award
- 2024
- Thesis identifier
- T16876
- Person Identifier (Local)
- 201764454
- Qualification Level
- Qualification Name
- Department, School or Faculty
- Abstract
- Much of the growth in the tidal turbine industry is concentrated in energetic current sites within current magnitudes exceeding 2m/s. Less energetic sites with U∞ < 2m/s are not tapped since there is no perceived economic benefit. This thesis explores the benefits of designing higher tip-speed ratio (TSR) rotors that operate in less energetic currents with the hypothesis that such rotors are can increase the viability of tidal turbines in less energetic sites. A parametric blade design methodology is developed to push the optimal TSR of rotors towards higher values. The performance of the blades is simulated using a BEM code with wave-current interaction. The blade designs are then evaluated according to three objectives: power, TSR, and thrust. A general cost model is also developed to evaluate the economic feasibility of the resulting blade designs. High-TSR rotors were found to reduce the cost associated with the generator, which then drives other cost components of a turbine although this is only significant up to a threshold rotational speed of 50RPM. Higher TSR rotors have better LCOE values but utility scale feasibility is yet to be seen. The lowest LCOE value of the resulting turbine with a high-TSR rotor is at 0.6 EUR/kWh which is still higher than the current strike price of current tidal stream energy projects. However, these turbines may still be beneficial for off-grid sites that rely on unsustainable diesel-fired generation. While cost is an issue, high-TSR rotors overcome the issues when operating in less energetic currents - load variability as result of low magnitude current velocities that are more susceptible to wave-induced variations. High-TSR rotors lessen the variation in load in addition to reducing the load due to lower torque and thrust loads since high-TSR rotors tend to have low solidity.
- Advisor / supervisor
- Johnstone, Cameron
- Resource Type
- DOI
- Funder
Relations
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PDF of thesis T16876 | 2025-01-13 | Public | Download |
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File | 2024-12-11 | Private |