Effects of non-isotropic blockage on a tidal turbine modeled with the Actuator-Line method

This paper presents a study on the effects of non-isotropic blockage on a tidal turbine using numerical  simulations. A tidal rotor was modeled with OpenFOAM using the Actuator-Line method under four different blockage ratios, four different aspect ratios, and four different tip-speed ratios. The s...

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Main Authors: Enzo Mascrier, Federico Zilic de Arcos, Grégory Pinon
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: European Wave and Tidal Energy Conference 2025-06-01
Series:International Marine Energy Journal
Subjects:
Online Access:https://marineenergyjournal.org/imej/article/view/221
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author Enzo Mascrier
Federico Zilic de Arcos
Grégory Pinon
author_facet Enzo Mascrier
Federico Zilic de Arcos
Grégory Pinon
author_sort Enzo Mascrier
collection DOAJ
description This paper presents a study on the effects of non-isotropic blockage on a tidal turbine using numerical  simulations. A tidal rotor was modeled with OpenFOAM using the Actuator-Line method under four different blockage ratios, four different aspect ratios, and four different tip-speed ratios. The study analyzes the blade-boundary interactions through observations on the rotor integrated loads and power, sectional forces, local angles of attack, and turbine wake characteristics. The simulations reveal that, while reducing aspect ratios (i.e., bringing the boundaries closer to the rotor) has a negative impact on performance at low blockage, increasing blockage reduces the influence of aspect ratio on time-averaged thrust and power. However, the changes in aspect ratio can result in significant thrust and power fluctuations in time, especially at blade sections close to the tip. On a local scale, the impact of aspect ratio is observed on angles of attack changes due to flow acceleration, especially close to the blade tip. The effects of blockage and aspect ratio can also be observed in the development of the turbine wake. The presence of boundaries limits the expansion of thee wake and its interaction with the surrounding velocity field, affecting wake recovery
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institution OA Journals
issn 2631-5548
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publishDate 2025-06-01
publisher European Wave and Tidal Energy Conference
record_format Article
series International Marine Energy Journal
spelling doaj-art-912b0f49b8c84befa8c6cdeb021a21052025-08-20T02:36:58ZengEuropean Wave and Tidal Energy ConferenceInternational Marine Energy Journal2631-55482025-06-018110.36688/imej.8.109-117Effects of non-isotropic blockage on a tidal turbine modeled with the Actuator-Line methodEnzo Mascrier0Federico Zilic de Arcos1Grégory Pinon2Laboratoire Ondes et Milieux Complexes - Normandie Univ, UNIHAVRE, CNRS, Le Havre, FranceDepartment of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Oxford, United KingdomLaboratoire Ondes et Milieux Complexes - Normandie Univ, UNIHAVRE, CNRS, Le Havre, France This paper presents a study on the effects of non-isotropic blockage on a tidal turbine using numerical  simulations. A tidal rotor was modeled with OpenFOAM using the Actuator-Line method under four different blockage ratios, four different aspect ratios, and four different tip-speed ratios. The study analyzes the blade-boundary interactions through observations on the rotor integrated loads and power, sectional forces, local angles of attack, and turbine wake characteristics. The simulations reveal that, while reducing aspect ratios (i.e., bringing the boundaries closer to the rotor) has a negative impact on performance at low blockage, increasing blockage reduces the influence of aspect ratio on time-averaged thrust and power. However, the changes in aspect ratio can result in significant thrust and power fluctuations in time, especially at blade sections close to the tip. On a local scale, the impact of aspect ratio is observed on angles of attack changes due to flow acceleration, especially close to the blade tip. The effects of blockage and aspect ratio can also be observed in the development of the turbine wake. The presence of boundaries limits the expansion of thee wake and its interaction with the surrounding velocity field, affecting wake recovery https://marineenergyjournal.org/imej/article/view/221Tidal EnergyAnisotropic BlockageActuator line methodCFD
spellingShingle Enzo Mascrier
Federico Zilic de Arcos
Grégory Pinon
Effects of non-isotropic blockage on a tidal turbine modeled with the Actuator-Line method
International Marine Energy Journal
Tidal Energy
Anisotropic Blockage
Actuator line method
CFD
title Effects of non-isotropic blockage on a tidal turbine modeled with the Actuator-Line method
title_full Effects of non-isotropic blockage on a tidal turbine modeled with the Actuator-Line method
title_fullStr Effects of non-isotropic blockage on a tidal turbine modeled with the Actuator-Line method
title_full_unstemmed Effects of non-isotropic blockage on a tidal turbine modeled with the Actuator-Line method
title_short Effects of non-isotropic blockage on a tidal turbine modeled with the Actuator-Line method
title_sort effects of non isotropic blockage on a tidal turbine modeled with the actuator line method
topic Tidal Energy
Anisotropic Blockage
Actuator line method
CFD
url https://marineenergyjournal.org/imej/article/view/221
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