Turbulent Scale and Wake Modeling on a Horizontal Axis Turbine

PIs: Dr. Dominic Groulx,  and Nicholas Osborne, Dalhousie University

Funding: OERA

Project Duration: Jan 2014 - April 2015

This research project aims to accurately simulate turbulent flow over a scaled horizontal axis tidal turbine to resolve turbulence in the near and far field regions. The simulation of a scaled model is an appropriate approach and allows for experimental validation. The successfully validated model will enable a better determination of which turbulence model is better suited for tidal turbine study, and will therefore be able to accurately estimate blade forces and near/far field turbulence. The success of this project will allow for improved blade design optimization as well as give better insight into the flow-physics of a tidal array setup.