Experimental Study of the Wave Effects on a Ducted Twin Vertical Axis Tidal Turbine Wake Development

Horizontal-axis turbines have been well-studied; however, there is a serious lack of information on the behaviour of vertical-axis turbines under unsteady operating conditions. Among unsteady flows, waves can cause significant mechanical fatigue and modify the flow downstream of the tidal turbines. Consequently, this paper aims to characterize the effects of waves on the hydrodynamic performance and wake development of a 1/20 scale model of a ducted twin vertical axis 1 MW-rated demonstrator. Power measurements were taken from the turbine and the velocity measurements downstream of the machine using a three-component Laser Doppler Velocimeter. The results show that, in the presence of waves, the mean wake characteristics present greater average height and width compared to the current-only condition. Moreover, the wake recovery happens faster downstream due to the sheared wake region homogenization, induced by the presence of higher intensity vortices. Through the Turbulence Kinetic Energy estimation, we also observe some increased fluctuations around the turbine and close to the free surface due to the presence of waves.