Abstract
The increased turbulence behind the turbine induces fatigue loads on the downstream turbine blades. Accurate estimation of turbulent intensity in turbine wake is paramount to optimising the placement of turbines in tidal turbine parks. A simple empirical model is developed using data fitting from a numerical simulation of a non-rotational actuator disc model to estimate the added turbulence in a tidal flow condition similar to the Raz Blanchard site. The empirical model justifies that the major turbulence source in the near wake is attributed to the rotor and the added turbulence is slightly dependent on the ambient turbulence in the flow. As no known available empirical model for the tidal turbine, the model is compared with the IEC 61400 standard for an unbounded wind turbine.