Blade Design Criteria to Compensate the Flow Curvature Effects in H-Darrieus Wind Turbines

Darrieus wind turbines are experiencing a renewed interest in the wind energy scenario, in particular whenever small and medium-size installations are considered. In these contexts, the average wind speeds are generally quite low due to scale effects and therefore the most exploited design choices for the turbines are the H-shape configuration, as the entire blade can take advantage of the maximum rotational radius, and high chord to radius ratios, in order to ensure suitable Reynolds numbers on the airfoils. By doing so, the aerodynamic effects induced by the motion of the airfoils in a curved flowpath become more evident and the airfoils themselves have to be designed to compensate these phenomena if conventional design tools based on the BEM theory are used. In this study, fully unsteady 2D simulations were exploited to analyze a three-bladed H-Darrieus wind turbine in order to define the real flow structure and its effects on the turbine performance; in detail, the influence of both the virtual camber and the virtual incidence were investigated. CFD results were supported by experimental data collected on full-scale models reproducing two different airfoil mountings. Finally, the proper design criteria to compensate these phenomena are proposed and their benefits on a conventional simulation with a BEM approach are discussed.

On Predicting the Phenomenon of Surface Flow Convergence in Wind Farms

A systematic analysis of a single-rotor horizontal axis wind turbine aerodynamics is performed to obtain a realistic potential maximum efficiency. It is noted that by including the effects of swirl, viscosity and finite number of blades, the maximum aerodynamic efficiency of a HAWT is within a few percentage points of the efficiency of commercially-available turbines. The need for investigating windfarm (as a unit) aerodynamics is thus highlighted. An actuator disk model is developed and implemented in the OpenFOAM software suite. The model is validated against 1-D momentum theory, blade element momentum theory, as well as against experimental data. The validated actuator disk model is then used to investigate an interesting microscale meteorological phenomenon called “flow convergence” caused by an array of wind turbines. This phenomenon is believed to be caused by the drop of pressure in wind farms. Wind farm numerical simulations are conducted with various approximations to investigate and explain the flow convergence phenomenon.

Dry-Cooled Supercritical CO2 Power for Advanced Nuclear Reactors

Currently, waste heat rejection from electrical power systems accounts for the largest fraction of water withdrawals from the US fresh water table. Siting of nuclear power plants is limited to areas with access to a large natural supply of fresh or sea water. Due to a rise in energy needs and increased concern over environmental impact, dry air cooling systems are poised to play a large role in the future energy economy. In practice, the implementation of dry air-cooled condensing systems at steam plants has proven to be capital-intensive and requires the power cycle to take a significant efficiency penalty. These shortcomings are fundamental to dry-air steam condensation, which must occur at a fixed temperature. Closed-cycle gas turbines are an alternative to the conventional steam Rankine plant that allow for much improved dry heat rejection compatibility. Recent research into advanced nuclear energy systems has identified the supercritical CO2 (s-CO2) Brayton cycle in particular as a viable candidate for many proposed reactor types. The s-CO2 Brayton cycle can maintain superior thermal efficiency over a wide range of ambient temperatures, making these power systems ideally suited for dry air cooling, even in warm climates. For an SFR operating at 550°C, thermal efficiency is calculated to be 43% with a 50°C compressor inlet temperature. This is achieved by raising CO2 compressor inlet pressure in response to rising ambient temperatures. Preliminary design studies have shown that s-CO2 power cycle hardware will be compact and therefore well-matched to near-term and advanced integral SMR designs. These advantages also extend to the cooling plant, where it is estimated that dry cooling towers for an SFR-coupled s-CO2 power cycle will be similar in cost and scale to the evaporative cooling tower for an LWR. The projected benefits of the s-CO2 power cycle coupled to dry air heat rejection may enable the long-awaited rise of next-generation nuclear energy systems, while re-drawing the map for siting of small and large nuclear energy systems.

Calculation of Optimal Surface Roughness With Respect to Lift/Drag Forces Acting on Wind Turbine Blade

Roughness on the surface of turbine blades induced by icing, dirt, erosion or manufacturing imperfections changes the aerodynamic configurations of wind turbines and reduces the power generation efficiency. In this work, a modified NACA0024 aerofoil is adopted to study effects of surface roughness on lift/drag forces. Three Reynolds numbers, 1000, 2000 and 5000 and a range of angles of attack [0°,20°] are studied. Since the magnitude of the roughness is small, it can be modelled as non-zero velocity boundary conditions imposed on the smooth surface without roughness. The flow with surface roughness can be therefore decomposed as the sum of a flow without roughness and a flow induced by roughness (or the velocity boundary conditions). The first flow can be obtained by solving the Navier-Stokes (NS) equation while the second one is governed by the linearized NS equation. Correspondingly the lift and drag forces acting on the aerofoil can be also decomposed as the sum of a force without considering roughness and a force induced by roughness. Instead of studying a particular type or distribution of roughness, we calculate the optimal roughness, which changes aerodynamic forces most effectively. This optimal roughness is obtained through a sensitivity study by solving an adjoint equation of the linearized NS equation. It is found that the optimal roughness with respect to both drag and lift forces is concentrated around the trailing edge and upper leading edge of the aerofoil and the lift is much more sensitive to roughness than the drag. Then the optimal roughness with a small magnitude is added to the smooth aerofoil geometry and this new geometry is tested through direct numerical simulations (DNS). It is found that the optimal roughness with a small magnitude (e-norm, defined as the square integration of the roughness around the surface, 0.001) induces over 10% change of the lift. Comparing the forces acting on the smooth surface and on the rough surface, it is noticed that the roughness changes the pressure force significantly while has little influence on the viscous forces. The pressure distribution is further inspected to study mechanisms of the effects of roughness on forces.

Experimental Study on the Organic Rankine Cycle Power System Adopting Dual Expanders in Parallel

This study aims to evaluate the performance of an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) power system adopting dual expanders in parallel by experiment. A dual-expander ORC system was designed to provide competitive advantages over a general single expander ORC system in typical applications with large thermal fluctuation of heat sources such as solar heat, marine waste heat, and etc. The ORC system consists of two scroll expanders installed in parallel, a hydraulic diaphragm type pump to feed and pressurize the working fluid, R-245fa, two plate heat exchangers for the evaporator and the condenser, and two generators with shaft power torque meters. The two scroll expanders were modified from two oil-free air scroll compressors, and were tested in the ORC loop with R245fa. The maximum isentropic efficiency of each expander was measured about 53%, and the shaft power was reached to about 2kW. The hot water was used as heat source, and the water temperature was controlled up to 150 °C by the 100 kW-class electric heater. A circulating air-cooled chiller was utilized for the control of the cooling water temperature. In order to determine the static performance of the system, efficiencies and shaft powers were measured with 130 °C heat source temperature. In addition, performance tests were conducted with various working fluid mass flow rates to control pressure ratios. The characteristics and total thermal efficiency of the dual parallel expander ORC system and optimal operating modes are addressed.

Development of Test Stand for Measuring Aerodynamic, Erosion, and Rotordynamic Performance of a Centrifugal Compressor Under Wet Gas Conditions

As the oil and gas industry addresses technology challenges for accessing gas reserves and enhancing the production of existing installations, wet gas compression becomes an important technology focus. When liquid is introduced into a compressor flow stream, the performance of the compressor is significantly influenced. Therefore, a concentrated effort is required to develop the tools to adequately predict the performance of the compressor when subjected to wet gas conditions. A series of tests were performed on a single stage compressor in a wet gas environment in order to provide empirical data for understanding how to predict wet gas performance. The compressor underwent aerodynamic, erosion, and rotordynamic performance testing. The tests were completed with a mixture of air and water at suction pressures of 10, 15, and 18.5 bar. The compressor was subjected to a multiphase flow with liquid volume fractions ranging from 0 to 3% (corresponding to a mass fraction of 73%) at three Mach numbers. Transient tests with liquid load variation were also done. This paper describes the test stand that was developed and operated for testing of the compressor in a wet gas environment. This includes a review of the overall test set-up, description of key test components and of the instrumentation installed on the compressor and the test loop. An overview of main test results is eventually shown.

A Study of the Three-Dimensional Unsteady Real-Gas Flows Within a Transonic ORC Turbine

In this paper we investigate the three-dimensional unsteady real-gas flows which occur within Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) turbines. A radial-inflow turbine stage operating with supersonic vane exit flows (M ≈ 1.4) is simulated using a RANS solver which includes real-gas effects. Steady CFD simulations show that small changes in the inducer shape can have a significant effect on turbine efficiency due to the development of supersonic flows in the rotor. Unsteady predictions show the same trends as the steady CFD, however a strong interaction between the vane trailing-edge shocks and rotor leading-edge leads to a significant drop in efficiency.

Feasibility Assessment for ORC Generation System Development Using Low Temperature Geothermal Water

Since around 70°C of geothermal water exists in Seokmo-do of Republic of Korea, this study is to assess the feasibility of electricity generation by utilizing ORC system, and the pertinent economic impact. It is generally believed that economic feasibility can be secured only when the source of geothermal water is above 100°C in order to generate electricity by operating ORC system. However, there was an exceptional case that ORC system was commercialized by Pratt-Whitney for around 70 °C of geothermal water in the hot springs of Chena, Alaska. The annual average temperature in the hot springs of Chena, Alaska is approximately 1°C whereas that of Seokmo-do is around 11°C, which makes 10°C of annual average temperature difference in operational environment between the two. Thus, the 2 phases of absorption refrigerating machine is considered for the ORC generation system. With establishing ORC system in consideration of operational environment, the feasibility of the development of ORC system in Seokmo-do is assessed by performance analysis and economic feasibility. As a result of the assessment, it is identified that the economic feasibility can be secured if the price of electricity is over $0.42/kWh same as that of photovoltaic generation as an incentive of the RPS program granted by the Korean government.

Synthesis and Analysis of an Independently Controllable Gear Train for Wind Turbines

The conversion of wind energy into a useful form of electrical power is rapidly and widely becoming popular as an alternative to the usage of fossil fuels. To improve the quality and reliability of a wind turbine, the issue of gear train technology has long been investigated in the continuing development of wind power industry. In this paper, an innovative, independently controllable gear drive that can be used to provide steady output speeds is proposed. With a prototype of this proposed transmission, kinematic/dynamic properties as well as power flow are verified to demonstrate feasibility of this gear system.

Thermodynamic Analysis of Low-Temperature Power Generation Transcritical Rankine Cycle With R41 and CO2

The performances of the transcritical Rankine cycles using R41 and CO2 as working fluids for power generation with lower temperature renewable energy are analyzed respectively and presented in this paper. The results show that the R41 cycle displays better comprehensive performance than that of the CO2 cycle. Compared with the CO2 cycle under the same specified conditions, the average value of the maximum net power output increased by more than 52.6%, the optimum inlet pressure decreased by over 41.6% and the second law efficiency increased by 24.8%. Moreover, the system thermal efficiency of R41 cycle is slightly higher than that of the CO2 cycle.