This work is focused on radial impulse turbines for an Oscillating Water Column (OWC) which is one of the alternatives to the Wells turbines traditionally installed in the OWC systems. All self-rectifying turbines work under special conditions due to the bi-directional flow caused by OWC. But a radial impulse turbine has another special point: it works alternatively as an inflow/outflow turbine, so that its behavior is not symmetrical as is expected in axial turbines for OWC (Wells and axial impulse turbines).The complete CFD analysis we have made of a radial impulse turbine is described. The model was created for a specific turbine but can be adapted for any self-rectifying turbine. We have studied the turbine by means of a one-dimensional study and a 3-D model solved with FLUENT® software, and the results were validated with experimental data extracted from the bibliography. This model allowed us to analyse both the classical dimensionless parameters and the flow pattern. Moreover, we have introduced a special definition for the reaction degree in order to analyse the process of the energy conversion.
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