Numerical Analysis on Impulse Turbine for OWC Wave Energy Conversion

Abstract

Oscillating water column wave energy converter is widely used in the world. The impulse turbine is recently employed for the bi-directional mechanical air power into electricity power. The 2D and 3D numerical model is established in the present paper to investigation the operating performance. The proper mesh style, turbulence model and numerical solutions are employed to study the velocity and air pressure distribution around the blade of the turbine. The operating coefficient obtained from the numerical simulation is compared with the corresponding experimental data, which demonstrate that the present 3D numerical model can be applied in the research of the impulse turbine for wave energy converter.