Abstract
Understanding the hydrodynamic interactions within tidal arrays is essential for designing turbine alignment and optimising power output. While three-dimensional simulations offer detailed insight into wake dynamics and velocity recovery, their computational cost is a main challenge, especially for large-scale farm designs. This study introduces a novel two-dimensional concept to simulate a tidal turbine based on turbine blade section modelling (BSM) as a representative of the entire rotor. The model integrates the Navier–Stokes (NS) solver-based Basilisk open source with adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) and embedded boundary conditions (EBC). The NS-BSM method was validated against physical flume experiments and numerical results. Several farm layouts with one, two, and three rows of turbines were tested. The NS-BSM achieves a balance between computational efficiency and physical realism, enabling rapid assessment of turbine-induced flow dynamics. The simulations were conducted in parallel using 48 CPUs, with 100 s of flow evolution completed at approximately 6 min. The NS-BSM accurately produced complicated flow patterns and velocity deficits in the near- and far-wake regions accurately. However, this approach does not resolve vertical flow dynamics, limiting its applicability for evaluating wave‒current interactions, seabed scouring, and detailed loading on turbine blades or support structures. Despite these limitations, the NS-BSM serves as a practical tool for scenario-based tidal farm optimisation, significantly reducing computational demand while maintaining high accuracy.