This paper presents a numerical and experimental investigation of the performance of a small prototype of a high solidity monoplane Wells turbine without guide vanes. The prototype, with blades of constant chord and NACA0015 profile, has been designed to be matched with the REWEC (Resonant Wave Energy Converter) breakwater located off the beach of Reggio Calabria, which represents an excellent small scale model of full scale sea wave energy conversion devices for oceanic applications. Experimental tests, carried out in steady conditions for different flow rates, provided lower peak efficiency (ηmax = 0.41) in comparison to the performance of geometrically similar turbines with larger diameter or operated at higher rotational speed. The numerical analysis, performed by means of 3D numerical simulations using a code able to solve the steady incompressible RANS equations, discretized by a finite volume approach, showed a satisfactory agreement with experimental results, mainly as far as concerns torque and pressure drop, and confirmed the effects of the small scale of the turbine on the efficiency.
Performance of a small prototype of a high solidity Wells turbine / Torresi, M.; Camporeale, Sm.; Pascazio, G.. - STAMPA. - (2007). (Intervento presentato al convegno 7th European Conference on Turbomachinery: Fluid Dynamics and Thermodynamics, ETC 2007 tenutosi a Athens, Greece nel March 5-9, 2007).
Performance of a small prototype of a high solidity Wells turbine
Torresi, M.;Camporeale, SM.;Pascazio, G.
2007-01-01
Abstract
This paper presents a numerical and experimental investigation of the performance of a small prototype of a high solidity monoplane Wells turbine without guide vanes. The prototype, with blades of constant chord and NACA0015 profile, has been designed to be matched with the REWEC (Resonant Wave Energy Converter) breakwater located off the beach of Reggio Calabria, which represents an excellent small scale model of full scale sea wave energy conversion devices for oceanic applications. Experimental tests, carried out in steady conditions for different flow rates, provided lower peak efficiency (ηmax = 0.41) in comparison to the performance of geometrically similar turbines with larger diameter or operated at higher rotational speed. The numerical analysis, performed by means of 3D numerical simulations using a code able to solve the steady incompressible RANS equations, discretized by a finite volume approach, showed a satisfactory agreement with experimental results, mainly as far as concerns torque and pressure drop, and confirmed the effects of the small scale of the turbine on the efficiency.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
