2020/07/17 by Scherl, Isabel, Strom, Benjamin, Brunton, Steven L. +1 · 2 citations
#FOS: Physical sciences #Fluid Dynamics (physics.flu-dyn)
paper · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2007.09233
Cross-flow turbines, also known as vertical-axis turbines, convert the kinetic energy in moving fluid to mechanical energy using blades that rotate about an axis perpendicular to the incoming flow. In this work, the performance of a two-turbine array in a recirculating water channel was experimentally optimized across sixty-four unique array configurations. For each configuration, turbine performance was optimized using tip-speed ratio control, where the rotation rate for each turbine is optimized individually, and using coordinated control, where the turbines are optimized to operate at synchronous rotation rates, but with a phase difference. For each configuration and control strategy, the consequences of co- and counter-rotation were also evaluated. We hypothesize how array configurations and control cases influence interactions between turbines and impact array performance.