A Methodology for Wells Turbine Design for Wave Energy Conversion

The wave energy devices currently being built in the United Kingdom and elsewhere have adopted the Wells air turbine for converting pneumatic energy in the device to mechanical energy of rotation. A monoplane (single-plane) Wells turbine can operate efficiently over a certain maximum flowrate and pneumatic pressure drop due to blade stall and tip speed limitations respectively. The knowledge base on the monoplane Wells turbine is reviewed. An interactive methodology for an aerodynamic design of this turbine is presented.

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