Abstract
This study examines the performance and structural responses of a full-scale Reference Model 1 (RM1) tidal turbine using two-way coupled Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) simulations. RM1, developed by the U.S. Department of Energy's Reference Model Project, is an open-source turbine model. The research analyzes power and thrust coefficients, deformation, stress, and strain using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) solvers. By solving fluid and structural equations independently and exchanging boundary conditions, the model captures the turbine blades' dynamic response.
CFD and two-way coupled FSI simulations are compared for insights into turbine behavior. These simulations consider the mutual influence of fluid flow and structural deformation, crucial for realistic turbine performance prediction. The study also evaluates differences between one-way and two-way FSI simulations to assess accuracy. The one-way FSI model transfers loads from CFD to FEA without feedback, while the two-way FSI model allows fluid-structure interaction.
Preliminary results show variations in turbine performance, blade deformation, and stress distribution between solid and hollow core geometries. Discrepancies in results of one-way and two-way FSI simulations highlight the need for two-way FSI for precise structural integrity. This research enhances understanding of fluid-structure interactions in tidal turbines and contributes to efficient marine energy systems.
This work is funded in part or whole by the U.S. Department of Energy Water Power Technologies Office, through the Marine Energy Seedlings Program. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-mission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC (NTESS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) under contract DE-NA0003525. This written work is authored by an employee of NTESS. The employee, not NTESS, owns the right, title and interest in and to the written work and is responsible for its contents. Any subjective views or opinions that might be expressed in the written work do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Government. The publisher acknowledges that the U.S. Government retains a non-exclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, world-wide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this written work or allow others to do so, for U.S. Government purposes. The DOE will provide public access to results of federally sponsored research in accordance with the DOE Public Access Plan.