Evaluation and Structural Optimisation of 0.6 m Impulse Turbine in Dolphin Wave Energy Conversion Device Through Computational Fluid Dynamics and Generative Design

Szatkowski, Szymon; Gonzalez Delgado, Daniel; Jaen-Sola, Pablo; Oterkus, Erkan

Abstract

In this paper, the performance of an adapted design of a 0.6 m impulse turbine in a new wave energy conversion device—the Dolphin device—is evaluated. This study is focused on developing an optimised structure in order to maximise the potential of the device and provide a lightweight and robust novel design. For this purpose, initial studies on the system involved 2D CFD simulations combined with parametric optimisation, which validated the use of the turbine system with water as the working fluid. The obtained component geometries were then used for the creation of a 3D CFD model, which was tested in a set-up dynamic simulation environment. Subsequently, the performance of the system was evaluated through the use of referenced experimental analyses. By taking into account the loading conditions present at the blades, as well as the inherent typical loads caused by the rotational speed of the turbine, the system was then optimised using generative design processes. Through the applied methodology, the performance of the turbine was predicted to be 61.79%. Moreover, the generative design optimisation showed a reduction in mass of 60.226% for the blade structure and 69.523% for the rotor structure.

Citation

Szatkowski, S., Gonzalez Delgado, D., Jaen-Sola, P., & Oterkus, E. (2024). Evaluation and Structural Optimisation of 0.6 m Impulse Turbine in Dolphin Wave Energy Conversion Device Through Computational Fluid Dynamics and Generative Design. Journal of marine science and engineering, 12(12), Article 2259. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12122259

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 28, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Dec 9, 2024
• Publication Date: 2024
• Deposit Date: Dec 17, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 17, 2024
• Journal: Journal of Marine Science and Engineering
• Electronic ISSN: 2077-1312
• Publisher: MDPI
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 12
• Issue: 12
• Article Number: 2259
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12122259
• Keywords: wave energy; computational fluid dynamics; dynamic mesh; impulse turbine; load mapping; generative design