Abstract
As Malaysia is surrounded by bodies of water, tidal energy is one of the possibilities to be used for energy extraction. While there have been several turbine designs and technologies used for tidal energy extraction, there is little information on the use of Vertical Axis Tidal Turbines (VATT) for shallow water applications. On the other hand, the implementation of Horizontal Axis Tidal Turbines (HATT) is not feasible due to Malaysia's ocean depth. Hence, it is important to examine the wake-flow characteristics of the VATT in a shallow water working environment in Malaysia. The wake turbulence of the Savonius turbine model was compared to a hypothetical ‘actuator' cylinder, which is a representation of VATT. Subsequently, the wake turbulence of a Savonius turbine model in static and dynamic simulations is compared to understand the flow distinction. Upon comparison with the hypothetical actuator cylinder of 2.5 m, it is apparent that the hypothetical actuator cylinder with the size of 5 m exhibits a greater velocity deceleration. Additionally, the modelled Savonius turbine also exhibits significant deceleration than the hypothetical actuator cylinder. Finally, analysis of the static model of the Savonius turbine shows deceleration that is greater than the dynamic model.