Development of an experimental framework for hydrodynamic characterization of hydrokinetic turbines in laboratory facilities

Hydrokinetic turbines (HKTs) have the potential to harness the kinetic energy of a river to produce power, offering several advantages over traditional hydropower. However, the technology is still in its early stages, with very few commercial installations operating worldwide and many turbine designs still in the prototype phase. A critical factor in transitioning from prototype to functioning installations is the ability of researchers, government agencies, and commercial entities to rapidly evaluate turbine performance in laboratory settings, as well as the capacity to assess field performance with limited data. To address this need, HKTs were experimentally tested in a racetrack flume at the Ecohydraulics and Ecomorphodynamics Laboratory (EEL) at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Optimal locations and durations for flow measurements to characterize the mean streamwise velocity and turbulent intensities in the turbine wake were identified. Recommendations were provided on predicting wake evolution using only a single measurement in the turbine's near wake. Additionally, a Python package was created to clean, analyze, and visualize the flow around HKTs. This tool is versatile and can be used by researchers working with acoustic Doppler velocimetry (ADV) across various applications, not just HKT research. This package is now available on Github for its use by the research community. Another significant challenge in the assessment of this technology is the limited knowledge on the optimization and design of HKT arrays. Unlike the typically permanent installations of wind farms, HKT arrays often require dense packing for quicker and more convenient deployment, necessitating accurate power and wake predictions that consider the effects of neighboring turbines under depth-limited and width-limited flows. We address these issues through the analysis of a series of experiments in which the wake of a HKT with different incoming flow characteristics was measured. These findings have significant implications for the design and optimization of HKT arrays, particularly concerning turbine positioning, structural requirements, and expected power fluctuations.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Civil Engineering

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2024

Author dc:creator

• Drimer, Jacob Braxton

Contributors dc:contributor

• Tinoco, Rafael

• Hydrokinetic Turbine
• Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter
• Turbine Wake

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2024 Jacob Drimer

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/125615

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F125615