Experimental verifications of numerical predictions for the hydrodynamic performance of horizontal axis marine current turbines

The conversion of the kinetic energy presented by ocean or marine currents offers an exciting proposition as it can provide regular and predictable energy resource. The majority of the proposed designs for converting this type of kinetic energy are based on the concept of the horizontal axis turbines, which has common characteristics to those being used in wind energy. Although a lot can be learnt and transferred from wind turbine technology, there are significant differences. These include the effects of the free surface and the occurrence of cavitation. Consequently, any developed numerical methods need to be verified. This study reports on the development and verification of simulation tools based on blade element momentum theory—a commercial code (GH-Tidal Bladed) and an academic in-house code (SERG-Tidal). Validation is derived from experimental measurements conducted on a model 800 mm diameter turbine in a cavitation tunnel and a towing tank. The experimental data includes measurements of shaft power and thrust generated by the turbine for a series of blade pitch settings and speeds. The results derived from the two codes are compared. These indicate that the two developed codes demonstrate similar trends in the results and provide a satisfactory representation of the experimental turbine performance. Such results give the necessary confidence in the developed codes resulting in appropriate tools that can to be utilised by developers of marine current turbines.