International Journal of Marine Energy最新文献

A methodology of tidal flow resource assessment in the Dover Strait is presented. The resource assessment is performed using surface velocity time series recorded by Very High Frequency Radars (VHFR) and ADCP velocity measurements. Following the EMEC guideline, the major parameters of tidal flow conventionally used for tidal energy site screening are estimated and mapped. The combination of two sources of data allowed to characterize the current velocity variation in three spatial dimensions and in time, which increased confidence in hydrokinetic resource assessment from the radar data. Current velocities provided by the radars show strong spatial variation and fortnightly modulation. The most energetic area was found west of the Cape Gris Nez with the peak velocity of 2.5 m/s, mean velocity of 1 m/s, and spring tide average velocity of 1.4 m/s. Velocities exceeding 1 m/s are observed more than 50% of time there. Averaged velocity profiles derived from ADCP data were obtained for different stages of the tidal cycle and then approximated by a power law function. Using velocity time series provided by the radars and the power law velocity profiles, the power density time series in the surface and bottom layers were generated. The analysis of these data show that west of the Cape Gris Nez, the mean power density attains its maximum value 0.9 kW/m² in the surface layer and a peak value 5 kW/m². In the rest of the domain, the mean power density varies from 0.1 to 0.6 kW/m². The power density is found three times lower in the bottom layer. A three dimensional hydrodynamic model MARS-3D is used for comparison with experimental data. The model results are in good agreement with observations thus allowing the use of the model for assessing tidal stream resource in extended area.

In this paper, a theoretical study is presented concerning power extraction via the Vortex-Induced-Vibration (VIV) of a circular cylinder in a dual-mass configuration. The dual mass system is modeled as a simplified two-degrees-of-freedom mechanical system where fluid forces on the circular cylinder are taken out of experimental data from forced vibration tests. It is shown that power extraction can be optimized in certain reconfiguration scenarios if dual mass parameters (i.e.: secondary mass and stiffness between masses) are chosen appropriately. More specifically, system behavior is characterized as a function of the governing parameters, and performance charts are presented that could be used for parameter selection purposes in an engineering environment. Limitations and benefits of the redesigning with respect to the absence of the dual-mass is also presented.

With large-scale development of offshore wave power conversion, artificial structures become more common in the open sea. To examine how wave power devices may be colonized by epifaunal organisms, 21 concrete foundations used for anchoring wave power generators were studied during two years, 2007 and 2008. The foundations were placed in two different clusters, located north and south within the Lysekil test site at the Swedish west coast. The degree to which early recruits covered the foundations and the succession of epibenthic communities were documented during two years. A succession in colonization over time was observed, with a higher degree of cover in the northern location. Furthermore, the northern location showed an increase in number of individuals, number of species and in Shannon-Wiener diversity in 2008. Dominant organisms on the foundations were the serpulid tubeworms (Pomatoceros triqueter) and barnacles (Balanus sp.). This comprehensive large-scale study about succession and colonization patterns on wave power foundations suggests that the location of wave energy devices affects colonization patterns. This gives indications on settlement patterns on already operating and planned offshore wave power parks further off the coasts.

Floating wave energy converters (WECs) operating in the resonance region are strongly affected by non-linearities arising from the interaction between the waves, the WEC motion and the mooring restraints. To compute the restrained WEC motion thus requires a method which readily accounts for these effects. This paper presents a method for coupled mooring analysis using a two-phase Navier–Stokes (VOF–RANS) model and a high-order finite element model of mooring cables. The method is validated against experimental measurements of a cylindrical buoy in regular waves, slack-moored with three catenary mooring cables. There is overall a good agreement between experimental and computational results with respect to buoy motions and mooring forces. Most importantly, the coupled numerical model accurately recreates the strong wave height dependence of the response amplitude operators seen in the experiments.

Numerical simulations of the turbulent wakes generated by rows of up to five marine turbines are presented. The numerical scheme combines an actuator disk model with a non-uniform velocity distribution, and the solution to the Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations. The first computations examine the dynamics of the turbulent wakes when the stream flows perpendicular to the row. The experiments of Stallard et al. (2013) serve as the benchmark for the numerical predictions. The computations also explore the significance of turbulence intensity and yawed conditions. An increase in the ambient turbulent intensity results in a quicker wake recovery. When the fluid stream is yawed to the turbine row, the problem loses its symmetry and some turbines realize lower velocities as they become affected by the wakes generated by other turbines.

This paper presents a sensitivity analysis on a numerical tidal stream turbine model where a multitude of input parameters’ effect on the load output were determined. The statistical procedure used, known as the Morris method, provided insight into the interactions between the parameters as well as showing their comparative influence on the turbine loading. The investigation covered parameters from the operational, geometric design and inflow variable domains where the rotor radius, current shear, blade root pitch, surface velocity and wave height were identified as most influential. The blade pitch was regarded as a surprisingly prominent influence on the loads. The turbine’s operating depth and the blade geometry were also found to be of limited influence in the ranges investigated. In terms of load transmission into the internal components of a turbine’s drive train, the rotor out-of-plane bending moment, or eccentric bending moment, was found to be a considerable contribution to the off-axis loads on the shaft. Therefore, special attention was paid to the input parameters’ relationship to the eccentric load component by performing a detailed study on the load variations caused by the identified primary input parameters. It is concluded that performing a sensitivity analysis on a tidal stream turbine in a specific operating climate can yield insight to the expected load range and that the eccentric loading transmitted to the shaft is significant for most input cases.

A method for constructing a non-dimensional performance curve for a cross-flow hydrokinetic turbine in sheared flow is developed for a natural river site. The river flow characteristics are quasi-steady, with negligible vertical shear, persistent lateral shear, and synoptic changes dominated by long time scales (days to weeks). Performance curves developed from inflow velocities measured at individual points (randomly sampled) yield inconclusive turbine performance characteristics because of the spatial variation in mean flow. Performance curves using temporally- and spatially-averaged inflow velocities are more conclusive. The implications of sheared inflow are considered in terms of resource assessment and turbine control.