Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the International Scientific Committee of the "... more Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the International Scientific Committee of the "2 nd International Through-life Engineering Services Conference" and the Programme Chair-Ashutosh Tiwari.
Centrifugal pumps play an essential role in engineering systems since they are widely used in the... more Centrifugal pumps play an essential role in engineering systems since they are widely used in the process and power industries. The performance of a centrifugal pump needs to be maximised due to its importance and this depends on the flow structure within the pump. The flow structure within a pump is very complex due to the presence of a rotating impeller and its interaction with the volute casing. In this paper, a numerical investigation using CFD analysis has been carried out to determine the effect of volute geometry on the flow field within a centrifugal pump. The results obtained from the numerical investigation have been validated with the experimental data. Further analyses have been carried out to investigate the effect of volute cross-sectional area on the velocity distribution. The overall results indicate that the head increases as the volute cross-sectional area increases.
There are many social, political and environmental issues associated with the use of fossil fuels... more There are many social, political and environmental issues associated with the use of fossil fuels. For this reason, there are numerous investigations currently being carried out to develop newer and renewable sources of energy to alleviate energy demand. Wind is one source of energy that can be harnessed using wind turbines. In this study, numerical investigations using CFD analysis have been carried out to determine the optimum dimensions of a wind turbine used in urban environments by varying the rotor and stator blade angles. The effect of these blade angles have been considered to be within the normal operating range (α from 1.689 to 21.689 , δ from 22.357 to 42.357 and γ from 18.2 to 38.2) while β was kept constant to 90. The results show that as α increase torque output and power output increases to a certain point after which both these quantities start decreasing. On the contrary to α, as δ increase torque output and power output decreases. From the results it can be concluded that the ideal blade angles, for optimal power output, are α=16.689⁰, γ=18.2⁰ and δ=22.357⁰.
Rapid escalation in fuel prices has motivated the manufacturers of heavy commercial vehicles to f... more Rapid escalation in fuel prices has motivated the manufacturers of heavy commercial vehicles to focus their attention towards efficient aerodynamic design of surface transport systems such as trucks-trailers, railways etc. In order to reduce the drag force acting on truck-trailer assemblies, the flow separation phenomena, occurring on the roof of the trailers, need to be controlled. A number of add-on devices have been developed for this purpose by different investigators but most of these devices are still not being used for several reasons including difficult integration with the structure and non-optimal configuration. In the present study, based on the theory of moving surface boundary layer control, a novel fuel saving device has been developed, and its operation optimised, in order to control the flow separation. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) based techniques have been employed to analyse the aerodynamic performance of a truck-trailer assembly, integrated with a moving surface boundary layer control device (MSBC). The device has been shown to be very effective in reducing the flow drag force being imparted on the truck-trailer assembly, and hence reducing the fuel consumption. Operation of MSBC device has been optimised to obtain a range of rotational speeds of the device over which it provides maximum reduction in aerodynamic drag.
Throughout the years, many studies have been carried out on engines with every effort to save fue... more Throughout the years, many studies have been carried out on engines with every effort to save fuel, reduce emissions and produce more power. Turbochargers have been developed and installed in the exhaust system of an engine to use exhaust emissions for boosting power within an internal combustion engine, which would otherwise be wasted. The turbocharger characteristics are essential to determine its performance. There are three stages in a turbocharger, namely being, the turbine stage where energy is extracted from the exhaust gases; bearing housing where energy is being transferred to the compressor stage; and the compressor stage where ambient air is drawn in and compressed to increase the fluids density and pressure prior to being delivered into the intake system. The compressor stage consists of four main components, namely being, the inducer, impeller, diffuser and volute. The volute of a turbocharger compressor is the third most important component within the compressor stage and has therefore, not received the attention that is needed. However, manufacturers are continuously seeking to obtain a realistic design methodology where variables exposed in real conditions, such as frictional effects are accounted for to minimise losses during performance. For this reason, it is essential to develop a thorough understanding of the flow phenomena the turbocharger compressor stage experiences under steady and transient conditions from a macroscopic level to a microscopic level. This creates a solid foundation for conducting the presented research. In this study, a realistic design methodology for a turbocharger compressor volute has been presented. Detailed qualitative and quantitative flow field analyses of the turbocharger compressor stage have been numerically carried out under steady and transient flow conditions using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) based techniques. The numerical investigations carried out in this study allow a clear visualisation of the flow structure within the turbocharger compressor stage volute, which makes it a cost effective method to undertake this research study. Approximations have been presented to design the symmetric and asymmetric type volutes, which have been applied into practice and analysed under steady and transient conditions to validate the presented compressor volute design methodology for turbocharging applications.
Throughout the years, many studies have been carried out on engines with every effort to save fue... more Throughout the years, many studies have been carried out on engines with every effort to save fuel, reduce emissions and produce more power. Turbochargers have been developed and installed in the exhaust system of an engine to use exhaust emissions for boosting power within an internal combustion engine, which would otherwise be wasted. The turbocharger characteristics are essential to determine its performance. There are three stages in a turbocharger, namely being, the turbine stage where energy is extracted from the exhaust gases; bearing housing where energy is being transferred to the compressor stage; and the compressor stage where ambient air is drawn in and compressed to increase the fluids density and pressure prior to being delivered into the intake system. The compressor stage consists of four main components, namely being, the inducer, impeller, diffuser and volute. The volute of a turbocharger compressor is the third most important component within the compressor stage ...
There are many social, political and environmental issues associated with the use of fossil fuels... more There are many social, political and environmental issues associated with the use of fossil fuels. For this reason, there are numerous investigations currently being carried out to develop newer and renewable sources of energy to alleviate energy demand. Wind is one source of energy that can be harnessed using wind turbines. In this study, numerical investigations using CFD analysis have been carried out to determine the optimum dimensions of a wind turbine used in urban environments by varying the rotor and stator blade angles. The effect of these blade angles have been considered to be within the normal operating range (α from 1.689 to 21.689 , δ from 22.357 to 42.357 and γ from 18.2 to 38.2) while β was kept constant to 90. The results show that as α increase torque output and power output increases to a certain point after which both these quantities start decreasing. On the contrary to α, as δ increase torque output and power output decreases. From the results it can be concluded that the ideal blade angles, for optimal power output, are α=16.689⁰, γ=18.2⁰ and δ=22.357⁰.
In this paper, experimental and numerical analyses of bubbly air-water flow in a vertical pipe at... more In this paper, experimental and numerical analyses of bubbly air-water flow in a vertical pipe at low volumetric flow rates has been carried out to quantify the effect of swirl on void fraction profiles. These investigations have been carried out at a dispersed phase volume fraction of 0.051% and at superficial flow velocities of 0.041 m/s for air and 0.76 m/s for water. The investigations revealed that the presence of swirl alters the volume fraction profiles considerably.
One of the most important sources of renewable energy is solar energy, which is readily available... more One of the most important sources of renewable energy is solar energy, which is readily available throughout the world. There is a requirement to make the solar energy affordable for everyday use in order to minimise the present reliance on fossil fuels. This would also assist in meeting the requirements of limiting greenhouse-gas effects, and hence conserve the environment from pollution, global warming, ozone layer depletion, etc. Thermo-syphons are systems that capture solar energy using a working fluid. In the present study, Computational Fluid Dynamics based solver has been employed to carry out an extensive investigation on the performance analysis of a thermo-syphon operating under transient conditions. There has been limited research conducted on the transient performance of thermo-syphons. This study focuses on the effects of various heat flux inputs and thermal loading conditions on the performance of a closed-loop solar hot water thermo-syphon system. The study reveals th...
Electric radiators with a storage element are commonly used to provide heating in cold weather. T... more Electric radiators with a storage element are commonly used to provide heating in cold weather. The thermal performance of an electric radiator is dependent on a number of key design features such as the core material, shape of radiator’s outer surfaces, gap between the core and the outer surfaces. The effectiveness of an electric radiator can be improved by optimally designing these key features. Researchers around the world have been working to achieve this using a range of different methodologies. In the present study, two commercial electric radiator models have been considered for their thermal characterisation during their individual heating and cooling cycles. This has been carried out in order to evaluate the thermal behaviour of the two models. To achieve this aim, a purpose built test rig has been developed and the thermal testing has been carried out in a controlled environment. A thermal camera has been used to take thermal images of the front surfaces of the two models ...
Centrifugal compressors are commonly used across a wide range of applications such as in the auto... more Centrifugal compressors are commonly used across a wide range of applications such as in the automotive industry for engine turbocharging. A turbocharger has four main components i.e. inducer, impeller, diffuser and volute. Turbocharger volutes are commonly designed by neglecting the effects of friction, however, in the real-world, frictional effects have a significant influence on the performance and efficiency of the volute and the turbocharger. This study focuses on the operational effectiveness of the turbocharger volute, making use of two asymmetric type volute models that have been designed for high-pressure centrifugal compressors. For this purpose, advanced Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) based techniques have been employed. Three dimensional models of the turbocharger compressor stage have been developed and analysed by monitoring the pressure fluctuations through the volutes. Incorporating frictional effects has been noticed to have prominent influence downstream of the...
Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs) are used to harness wind energy to meet renewable energy targ... more Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs) are used to harness wind energy to meet renewable energy targets. Operations in dusty environments, such as in deserts, could adversely impact on its performance output. In order to analyse this, both clean and dusty environments have been numerically simulated using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) based techniques, where the dusty environments constitute of various sand particle sizes. Comparative studies between clean and dusty environments have been presented. Critical analysis of the erosion rate on a rotor blade of the VAWT has also been carried out. It has been shown that sand particles decrease the torque output of the VAWT. It has also been shown that increase in sand particle size decreases the performance of the VAWT. The results obtained have been used to develop a novel semi-empirical prediction model for the torque output of the VAWT as a function of sand particles’ size.
Rapid escalation in fuel prices has motivated the manufacturers of heavy commercial vehicles to f... more Rapid escalation in fuel prices has motivated the manufacturers of heavy commercial vehicles to focus their attention towards efficient aerodynamic design of surface transport systems such as trucks-trailers, railways etc. In order to reduce the drag force acting on truck-trailer assemblies, the flow separation phenomena, occurring on the roof of the trailers, need to be controlled. A number of add-on devices have been developed for this purpose by different investigators but most of these devices are still not being used for several reasons including difficult integration with the structure and non-optimal configuration. In the present study, based on the theory of moving surface boundary layer control, a novel fuel saving device has been developed, and its operation optimised, in order to control the flow separation. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) based techniques have been employed to analyse the aerodynamic performance of a truck-trailer assembly, integrated with a moving surface boundary layer control device (MSBC). The device has been shown to be very effective in reducing the flow drag force being imparted on the truck-trailer assembly, and hence reducing the fuel consumption. Operation of MSBC device has been optimised to obtain a range of rotational speeds of the device over which it provides maximum reduction in aerodynamic drag.
Centrifugal pumps play an essential role in engineering systems since they are widely used in the... more Centrifugal pumps play an essential role in engineering systems since they are widely used in the process and power industries. The performance of a centrifugal pump needs to be maximised due to its importance and this depends on the flow structure within the pump. The flow structure within a pump is very complex due to the presence of a rotating impeller and its interaction with the volute casing. In this paper, a numerical investigation using CFD analysis has been carried out to determine the effect of volute geometry on the flow field within a centrifugal pump. The results obtained from the numerical investigation have been validated with the experimental data. Further analyses have been carried out to investigate the effect of volute cross-sectional area on the velocity distribution. The overall results indicate that the head increases as the volute cross-sectional area increase
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the International Scientific Committee of the "... more Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the International Scientific Committee of the "2 nd International Through-life Engineering Services Conference" and the Programme Chair-Ashutosh Tiwari.
Marine turbines are being increasingly used to harness kinetic energy of water and convert it int... more Marine turbines are being increasingly used to harness kinetic energy of water and convert it into other useful forms of energy. Widespread commercial acceptability of these machines depends upon their efficiency. This largely depends upon the geometric features of the marine turbines such as number of blades, shape of blades etc. Researchers have been using experimental facilities to optimise these machines for maximum power generation. With the advent of advanced computational techniques, it has now become possible to numerically simulate the flow of water in the vicinity of marine turbines and monitor their performance output. In this work Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) based techniques have been used to analyse the effects of number of blades within the stator and rotor, of an in-house built Vertical Axis Marine Current Turbine (VAMCT), on the performance output of the turbine. Furthermore, an effort has been put forward towards better understanding of the flow structure in the vicinity of the blades during transient interaction between rotor and stator blades. This study provides vital information with regards to the flow sensors' requirements and placements in order to monitor various blade configurations of a VAMCT in real world. The results of this study show that the torque output from a VAMCT is a strong function of blade configurations and there is a significant degradation in the performance output of marine turbines as the inequality between the number of rotor and stator blades increases. Hence, CFD has the potential to optimise the design of marine turbines and can be used as a potential modelling tool in the near future for on-line health monitoring of such systems.
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the International Scientific Committee of the "... more Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the International Scientific Committee of the "2 nd International Through-life Engineering Services Conference" and the Programme Chair-Ashutosh Tiwari.
Centrifugal pumps play an essential role in engineering systems since they are widely used in the... more Centrifugal pumps play an essential role in engineering systems since they are widely used in the process and power industries. The performance of a centrifugal pump needs to be maximised due to its importance and this depends on the flow structure within the pump. The flow structure within a pump is very complex due to the presence of a rotating impeller and its interaction with the volute casing. In this paper, a numerical investigation using CFD analysis has been carried out to determine the effect of volute geometry on the flow field within a centrifugal pump. The results obtained from the numerical investigation have been validated with the experimental data. Further analyses have been carried out to investigate the effect of volute cross-sectional area on the velocity distribution. The overall results indicate that the head increases as the volute cross-sectional area increases.
There are many social, political and environmental issues associated with the use of fossil fuels... more There are many social, political and environmental issues associated with the use of fossil fuels. For this reason, there are numerous investigations currently being carried out to develop newer and renewable sources of energy to alleviate energy demand. Wind is one source of energy that can be harnessed using wind turbines. In this study, numerical investigations using CFD analysis have been carried out to determine the optimum dimensions of a wind turbine used in urban environments by varying the rotor and stator blade angles. The effect of these blade angles have been considered to be within the normal operating range (α from 1.689 to 21.689 , δ from 22.357 to 42.357 and γ from 18.2 to 38.2) while β was kept constant to 90. The results show that as α increase torque output and power output increases to a certain point after which both these quantities start decreasing. On the contrary to α, as δ increase torque output and power output decreases. From the results it can be concluded that the ideal blade angles, for optimal power output, are α=16.689⁰, γ=18.2⁰ and δ=22.357⁰.
Rapid escalation in fuel prices has motivated the manufacturers of heavy commercial vehicles to f... more Rapid escalation in fuel prices has motivated the manufacturers of heavy commercial vehicles to focus their attention towards efficient aerodynamic design of surface transport systems such as trucks-trailers, railways etc. In order to reduce the drag force acting on truck-trailer assemblies, the flow separation phenomena, occurring on the roof of the trailers, need to be controlled. A number of add-on devices have been developed for this purpose by different investigators but most of these devices are still not being used for several reasons including difficult integration with the structure and non-optimal configuration. In the present study, based on the theory of moving surface boundary layer control, a novel fuel saving device has been developed, and its operation optimised, in order to control the flow separation. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) based techniques have been employed to analyse the aerodynamic performance of a truck-trailer assembly, integrated with a moving surface boundary layer control device (MSBC). The device has been shown to be very effective in reducing the flow drag force being imparted on the truck-trailer assembly, and hence reducing the fuel consumption. Operation of MSBC device has been optimised to obtain a range of rotational speeds of the device over which it provides maximum reduction in aerodynamic drag.
Throughout the years, many studies have been carried out on engines with every effort to save fue... more Throughout the years, many studies have been carried out on engines with every effort to save fuel, reduce emissions and produce more power. Turbochargers have been developed and installed in the exhaust system of an engine to use exhaust emissions for boosting power within an internal combustion engine, which would otherwise be wasted. The turbocharger characteristics are essential to determine its performance. There are three stages in a turbocharger, namely being, the turbine stage where energy is extracted from the exhaust gases; bearing housing where energy is being transferred to the compressor stage; and the compressor stage where ambient air is drawn in and compressed to increase the fluids density and pressure prior to being delivered into the intake system. The compressor stage consists of four main components, namely being, the inducer, impeller, diffuser and volute. The volute of a turbocharger compressor is the third most important component within the compressor stage and has therefore, not received the attention that is needed. However, manufacturers are continuously seeking to obtain a realistic design methodology where variables exposed in real conditions, such as frictional effects are accounted for to minimise losses during performance. For this reason, it is essential to develop a thorough understanding of the flow phenomena the turbocharger compressor stage experiences under steady and transient conditions from a macroscopic level to a microscopic level. This creates a solid foundation for conducting the presented research. In this study, a realistic design methodology for a turbocharger compressor volute has been presented. Detailed qualitative and quantitative flow field analyses of the turbocharger compressor stage have been numerically carried out under steady and transient flow conditions using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) based techniques. The numerical investigations carried out in this study allow a clear visualisation of the flow structure within the turbocharger compressor stage volute, which makes it a cost effective method to undertake this research study. Approximations have been presented to design the symmetric and asymmetric type volutes, which have been applied into practice and analysed under steady and transient conditions to validate the presented compressor volute design methodology for turbocharging applications.
Throughout the years, many studies have been carried out on engines with every effort to save fue... more Throughout the years, many studies have been carried out on engines with every effort to save fuel, reduce emissions and produce more power. Turbochargers have been developed and installed in the exhaust system of an engine to use exhaust emissions for boosting power within an internal combustion engine, which would otherwise be wasted. The turbocharger characteristics are essential to determine its performance. There are three stages in a turbocharger, namely being, the turbine stage where energy is extracted from the exhaust gases; bearing housing where energy is being transferred to the compressor stage; and the compressor stage where ambient air is drawn in and compressed to increase the fluids density and pressure prior to being delivered into the intake system. The compressor stage consists of four main components, namely being, the inducer, impeller, diffuser and volute. The volute of a turbocharger compressor is the third most important component within the compressor stage ...
There are many social, political and environmental issues associated with the use of fossil fuels... more There are many social, political and environmental issues associated with the use of fossil fuels. For this reason, there are numerous investigations currently being carried out to develop newer and renewable sources of energy to alleviate energy demand. Wind is one source of energy that can be harnessed using wind turbines. In this study, numerical investigations using CFD analysis have been carried out to determine the optimum dimensions of a wind turbine used in urban environments by varying the rotor and stator blade angles. The effect of these blade angles have been considered to be within the normal operating range (α from 1.689 to 21.689 , δ from 22.357 to 42.357 and γ from 18.2 to 38.2) while β was kept constant to 90. The results show that as α increase torque output and power output increases to a certain point after which both these quantities start decreasing. On the contrary to α, as δ increase torque output and power output decreases. From the results it can be concluded that the ideal blade angles, for optimal power output, are α=16.689⁰, γ=18.2⁰ and δ=22.357⁰.
In this paper, experimental and numerical analyses of bubbly air-water flow in a vertical pipe at... more In this paper, experimental and numerical analyses of bubbly air-water flow in a vertical pipe at low volumetric flow rates has been carried out to quantify the effect of swirl on void fraction profiles. These investigations have been carried out at a dispersed phase volume fraction of 0.051% and at superficial flow velocities of 0.041 m/s for air and 0.76 m/s for water. The investigations revealed that the presence of swirl alters the volume fraction profiles considerably.
One of the most important sources of renewable energy is solar energy, which is readily available... more One of the most important sources of renewable energy is solar energy, which is readily available throughout the world. There is a requirement to make the solar energy affordable for everyday use in order to minimise the present reliance on fossil fuels. This would also assist in meeting the requirements of limiting greenhouse-gas effects, and hence conserve the environment from pollution, global warming, ozone layer depletion, etc. Thermo-syphons are systems that capture solar energy using a working fluid. In the present study, Computational Fluid Dynamics based solver has been employed to carry out an extensive investigation on the performance analysis of a thermo-syphon operating under transient conditions. There has been limited research conducted on the transient performance of thermo-syphons. This study focuses on the effects of various heat flux inputs and thermal loading conditions on the performance of a closed-loop solar hot water thermo-syphon system. The study reveals th...
Electric radiators with a storage element are commonly used to provide heating in cold weather. T... more Electric radiators with a storage element are commonly used to provide heating in cold weather. The thermal performance of an electric radiator is dependent on a number of key design features such as the core material, shape of radiator’s outer surfaces, gap between the core and the outer surfaces. The effectiveness of an electric radiator can be improved by optimally designing these key features. Researchers around the world have been working to achieve this using a range of different methodologies. In the present study, two commercial electric radiator models have been considered for their thermal characterisation during their individual heating and cooling cycles. This has been carried out in order to evaluate the thermal behaviour of the two models. To achieve this aim, a purpose built test rig has been developed and the thermal testing has been carried out in a controlled environment. A thermal camera has been used to take thermal images of the front surfaces of the two models ...
Centrifugal compressors are commonly used across a wide range of applications such as in the auto... more Centrifugal compressors are commonly used across a wide range of applications such as in the automotive industry for engine turbocharging. A turbocharger has four main components i.e. inducer, impeller, diffuser and volute. Turbocharger volutes are commonly designed by neglecting the effects of friction, however, in the real-world, frictional effects have a significant influence on the performance and efficiency of the volute and the turbocharger. This study focuses on the operational effectiveness of the turbocharger volute, making use of two asymmetric type volute models that have been designed for high-pressure centrifugal compressors. For this purpose, advanced Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) based techniques have been employed. Three dimensional models of the turbocharger compressor stage have been developed and analysed by monitoring the pressure fluctuations through the volutes. Incorporating frictional effects has been noticed to have prominent influence downstream of the...
Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs) are used to harness wind energy to meet renewable energy targ... more Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs) are used to harness wind energy to meet renewable energy targets. Operations in dusty environments, such as in deserts, could adversely impact on its performance output. In order to analyse this, both clean and dusty environments have been numerically simulated using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) based techniques, where the dusty environments constitute of various sand particle sizes. Comparative studies between clean and dusty environments have been presented. Critical analysis of the erosion rate on a rotor blade of the VAWT has also been carried out. It has been shown that sand particles decrease the torque output of the VAWT. It has also been shown that increase in sand particle size decreases the performance of the VAWT. The results obtained have been used to develop a novel semi-empirical prediction model for the torque output of the VAWT as a function of sand particles’ size.
Rapid escalation in fuel prices has motivated the manufacturers of heavy commercial vehicles to f... more Rapid escalation in fuel prices has motivated the manufacturers of heavy commercial vehicles to focus their attention towards efficient aerodynamic design of surface transport systems such as trucks-trailers, railways etc. In order to reduce the drag force acting on truck-trailer assemblies, the flow separation phenomena, occurring on the roof of the trailers, need to be controlled. A number of add-on devices have been developed for this purpose by different investigators but most of these devices are still not being used for several reasons including difficult integration with the structure and non-optimal configuration. In the present study, based on the theory of moving surface boundary layer control, a novel fuel saving device has been developed, and its operation optimised, in order to control the flow separation. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) based techniques have been employed to analyse the aerodynamic performance of a truck-trailer assembly, integrated with a moving surface boundary layer control device (MSBC). The device has been shown to be very effective in reducing the flow drag force being imparted on the truck-trailer assembly, and hence reducing the fuel consumption. Operation of MSBC device has been optimised to obtain a range of rotational speeds of the device over which it provides maximum reduction in aerodynamic drag.
Centrifugal pumps play an essential role in engineering systems since they are widely used in the... more Centrifugal pumps play an essential role in engineering systems since they are widely used in the process and power industries. The performance of a centrifugal pump needs to be maximised due to its importance and this depends on the flow structure within the pump. The flow structure within a pump is very complex due to the presence of a rotating impeller and its interaction with the volute casing. In this paper, a numerical investigation using CFD analysis has been carried out to determine the effect of volute geometry on the flow field within a centrifugal pump. The results obtained from the numerical investigation have been validated with the experimental data. Further analyses have been carried out to investigate the effect of volute cross-sectional area on the velocity distribution. The overall results indicate that the head increases as the volute cross-sectional area increase
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the International Scientific Committee of the "... more Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the International Scientific Committee of the "2 nd International Through-life Engineering Services Conference" and the Programme Chair-Ashutosh Tiwari.
Marine turbines are being increasingly used to harness kinetic energy of water and convert it int... more Marine turbines are being increasingly used to harness kinetic energy of water and convert it into other useful forms of energy. Widespread commercial acceptability of these machines depends upon their efficiency. This largely depends upon the geometric features of the marine turbines such as number of blades, shape of blades etc. Researchers have been using experimental facilities to optimise these machines for maximum power generation. With the advent of advanced computational techniques, it has now become possible to numerically simulate the flow of water in the vicinity of marine turbines and monitor their performance output. In this work Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) based techniques have been used to analyse the effects of number of blades within the stator and rotor, of an in-house built Vertical Axis Marine Current Turbine (VAMCT), on the performance output of the turbine. Furthermore, an effort has been put forward towards better understanding of the flow structure in the vicinity of the blades during transient interaction between rotor and stator blades. This study provides vital information with regards to the flow sensors' requirements and placements in order to monitor various blade configurations of a VAMCT in real world. The results of this study show that the torque output from a VAMCT is a strong function of blade configurations and there is a significant degradation in the performance output of marine turbines as the inequality between the number of rotor and stator blades increases. Hence, CFD has the potential to optimise the design of marine turbines and can be used as a potential modelling tool in the near future for on-line health monitoring of such systems.
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