Numerical Study on Composite Material Marine Current Turbine Under Various Hydrodynamic Conditions

A novel manufacturing approach similar to filament winding has been developed and automated and is able to produce the Composite Material Marine Current Turbines (CMMCT), which have significant advantages over traditional designs. This paper presents numerical results to investigate the performance of these turbines. The numerical approach was performed using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) in a free stream of water with various hydrodynamic flow conditions. Static torque and extracted power are calculated at different rotating speeds in a free stream with various hydrodynamics flow conditions. The calculated results will provide a fundamental understanding of the impeller as a water turbine, and this design method is used to shorten the design process and improve the water turbine’s performance.Copyright © 2011 by ASME