Numerical simulations of a horizontal axis water turbine designed for underwater mooring platforms

In order to extend the operational life of Underwater Moored Platforms (UMPs), a horizontal axis water turbine is designed to supply energy for the UMPs. The turbine, equipped with controllable blades, can be opened to generate power and charge the UMPs in moored state. Three-dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations are performed to study the characteristics of power, thrust and the wake of the turbine. Particularly, the effect of the installation position of the turbine is considered. Simulations are based on the Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations and the shear stress transport k-ω turbulent model is utilized. The numerical method is validated using existing experimental data. The simulation results show that this turbine has a maximum power coefficient of 0.327 when the turbine is installed near the tail of the UMP. The flow structure near the blade and in the wake are also discussed.