Drag study of the nacelles of a tidal stream device using CFD

摘要

Nowadays, renewable energy is in full growth. In particular, offshore wind farmswill be at the centre of UK energetic strategy in the coming years. However,other types of marine renewable are still at an early development stage. That isthe case for tidal energy. Many projects have been undertaken but there is nocandidate for competitive commercial applications yet.Deltastream is one of these numerous pioneering projects. It consists of a set ofthree marine current turbines mounted on a triangular base put down onto theseabed. The device is not moored and no harm is done to the environment.However, that makes the structure more sensitive to water flows. And it isimportant to ensure that it will remain at its location and not being carried alongwith the tidal streams.Using CFD, the present study aims to evaluate the drag on the nacelles of thestructure and come up with solutions to reduce it as much as possible.