The Hydrodynamic Performance of a Vertical-Axis Hydro Turbine with an Airfoil Designed Based on the Outline of a Sailfish
This study investigates an aerodynamic optimization framework inspired by marine biological morphology, utilizing the sailfish profile as a basis for airfoil configuration. Through Latin hypercube experimental design combined with optimization algorithms, four key geometric variables governing the a...
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Journal of Marine Science and Engineering |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/13/7/1266 |
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| Summary: | This study investigates an aerodynamic optimization framework inspired by marine biological morphology, utilizing the sailfish profile as a basis for airfoil configuration. Through Latin hypercube experimental design combined with optimization algorithms, four key geometric variables governing the airfoil’s hydrodynamic characteristics were systematically analyzed. Parametric studies revealed that pivotal factors including installation angle significantly influenced the fluid dynamic performance metrics of lift generation and pressure drag. Response surface methodology was employed to establish predictive models for these critical performance indicators, effectively reducing computational resource consumption and experimental validation costs. The refined bio-inspired configuration demonstrated multi-objective performance improvements compared to the baseline configuration, validating the computational framework’s effectiveness for hydrodynamic profile optimization studies. Furthermore, a coaxial dual-rotor vertical axis turbine configuration was developed, integrating centrifugal and axial-flow energy conversion mechanisms through a shared drivetrain system. The centrifugal rotor component harnessed tidal current kinetic energy while the axial-flow rotor module captured wave-induced potential energy. Transient numerical simulations employing dynamic mesh techniques and user-defined functions within the Fluent environment were conducted to analyze rotor interactions. Results indicated the centrifugal subsystem demonstrated peak hydrodynamic efficiency at a 25° installation angle, whereas the axial-flow module achieves optimal performance at 35° blade orientation. Parametric optimization revealed maximum energy extraction efficiency for the centrifugal rotor occurs at <i>λ</i> = 1.25 tip-speed ratio under <i>Re</i> = 1.3 × 10<sup>5</sup> flow conditions, while the axial-flow counterpart attained optimal performance at <i>λ</i> = 1.5 with <i>Re</i> = 5.5 × 10<sup>4</sup>. This synergistic configuration demonstrated complementary operational characteristics under marine energy conversion scenarios. |
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| ISSN: | 2077-1312 |