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Hydrokinetic Energy Conversion: Technology, Research, and Outlook

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A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "D1: Advanced Energy Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2020) | Viewed by 25011

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Prof. Dr. Michael Bernitsas

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Guest Editor

Marine Renewable Energy Laboratory, Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, USA
Renewable Energy Laboratory, University of Michigan; Life-Fellow ASME, Life-Fellow SNAME; CTO-Vortex Hydro Energy, USA
Interests: hydrokinetic energy conversion, vortex-induced vibration, galloping, suppression of vortex-induced vibration, mooring system dynamics, riser and pipeline mechanics, offshore engineering

Dr. Hai Sun

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Co-Guest Editor

Marine Renewable Energy Laboratory, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Interests: flow-induced vibration, VIV, galloping, hydrokinetic energy conversion, alternating lift technologies, nonlinear dynamics, risk and reliability analysis, control theory

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Marine hydrokinetic energy (MHK) is clean, renewable, abundant, and worldwide available. It appears in two forms: horizontal in tides, ocean currents, and rivers; and vertical in waves. This Special Issue focuses on horizontal MHK energy conversion using steady-lift technologies (SLT, e.g., turbines) or alternating-lift technologies (ALT, e.g., flow induced oscillation converters). The characteristics of these forms of energy, the assessment of their potential for harnessing, and converter technologies have been strong research focuses in industry and academia in recent years. Energies is delighted to announce a timely Special Issue on hydrokinetic energy conversion, aiming to capture the latest advances in hydrokinetic energy research and development, which will accelerate the uptake of new technologies and the expansion of related research on a global scale. This Issue covers but is not limited to the following topics:

Novel and existing concepts, model tests, field tests, and deployments;
Flow-induced vibration, galloping, and flutter in hydrokinetic energy conversion;
Numerical modeling of the MHK conversion system with a focus on interactions between multiple converters;
The design and assessment of novel marine hydrokinetic energy converter components and systems;
Hydrodynamic and power-take-off interactions among converters within MHK energy conversion systems;
Control and power system integration of the MHK system;
System and component reliability;
The operational and logistics aspects of marine hydrokinetic conversion systems;
Policy, regulatory, and commercial practices.

We invite papers on blue skies research as well as reports and case studies illustrating current, state-of-the-art industrial applications. As the Guest Editors of this Energies Special Issue on marine hydrokinetic energy, we are delighted to extend this invitation to you, and we look forward to receiving your contribution.

Prof. Dr. Michael Bernitsas
Dr. Hai Sun
Guest Editors

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Research

24 pages, 11642 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Modelling of a Flow-Induced Oscillation, Two-Cylinder, Hydrokinetic Energy Converter Based on Experimental Data

by Yanfang Lv, Liping Sun, Michael M. Bernitsas, Mengjie Jiang and Hai Sun

Energies 2021, 14(4), 827; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14040827 - 05 Feb 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1341

Abstract

The VIVACE Converter consists of cylindrical oscillators in tandem subjected to transverse flow-induced oscillations (FIOs) that can be improved by varying the system parameters for a given in-flow velocity: damping, stiffness, and in-flow center-to-center spacing. Compared to a single isolated cylinder, tandem cylinders can harness more hydrokinetic energy due to synergy in FIO. Experimental and numerical methods have been utilized to analyze the FIO and energy harnessing of VIVACE. A surrogate-based model of two tandem cylinders is developed to predict the power harvesting and corresponding efficiency by introducing a backpropagation neural network. It is then utilized to reduce excessive experimental or computational testing. The effects of spacing, damping, and stiffness on harvested power and efficiency of the established prediction-model are analyzed. At each selected flow velocity, optimization results of power harvesting using the prediction-model are calculated under different combinations of damping and stiffness. The main conclusions are: (1) The surrogate model, built on extensive experimental data for tandem cylinders, can predict the cylinder oscillatory response accurately. (2) Increasing the damping ratio range from 0–0.24 to 0–0.30 is beneficial for improving power efficiency, but has no significant effect on power harvesting. (3) In galloping, a spacing ratio of 1.57 has the highest optimal harnessed power and efficiency compared with other spacing values. (4) Two tandem cylinders can harness 2.01–4.67 times the optimal power of an isolated cylinder. In addition, the former can achieve 1.46–4.01 times the efficiency of the latter. (5) The surrogate model is an efficient predictive tool defining parameters of the Converter for improved energy acquisition. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydrokinetic Energy Conversion: Technology, Research, and Outlook)

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22 pages, 1061 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Look Ahead Based Control Strategy for Hydro-Static Drive Wind Turbine Using Dynamic Programming

by Sourav Pramanik and Sohel Anwar

Energies 2020, 13(20), 5240; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13205240 - 09 Oct 2020

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1345

Abstract

This research paper presents a look-ahead optimal control strategy for a Hydro-static Drive Wind Turbine when look ahead wind speed information is available. The proposed predictive controller is a direct numerical optimizer based on the well established principles of Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (Dynamic Programming). Hydro-static transmission based, non-linear model of wind turbine is used in this optimization work. The optimal behavior of the turbine used the non-linearity of aerodynamic maps and hydro-static drive train by a convex combination of state space controller with measurable generator speed and hydraulic motor displacement as scheduling parameters. A comparative analysis between a optimal controller based on Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) algorithm as published in literature and the proposed look ahead based predictive controller is presented. The simulation results show that proposed look ahead strategy offered optimal operation of the wind turbine by closely tracking the optimal tip-speed ratio to maximize capacity factor while also maintaining the hydraulic motor speed close to the desired value to ensure that the frequency of electrical output is constant. It is observed from the simulation results that the proposed predictive controller provided around 3.5% better performance in terms of improving total system losses and harvesting energy as compared to the MPPT algorithm. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydrokinetic Energy Conversion: Technology, Research, and Outlook)

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18 pages, 5512 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Hydrokinetic Power Conversion Using Vortex-Induced Oscillation with Cubic Restoring Force

by Mengyu Li, Christopher Bernitsas, Guo Jing and Sun Hai

Energies 2020, 13(12), 3283; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13123283 - 25 Jun 2020

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2605

Abstract

A cubic-spring restoring function with high-deformation stiffening is introduced to passively improve the harnessed marine hydrokinetic power by using flow-induced oscillations/vibrations (FIO/V) of a cylinder. In these FIO/V experiments, a smooth, rigid, single-cylinder on elastic end-supports is tested at Reynolds numbers ranging from 24,000 < Re < 120,000. The parameters of the tested current energy converter (CEC) are cubic stiffness and linear damping. Using the second generation of digital virtual spring-damping (Vck) controller developed by the Marine Renewable Energy Laboratory (MRELab), the cubic modeling of the oscillator stiffness is tested. Experimental results show the influence of the parameter variation on the amplitude, frequency, energy conversion, energy efficiency, and power of the converter. All experiments are conducted in the low turbulence-free surface water (LTFSW) channel of the MRELab of the University of Michigan. The main conclusions are: (1) The nonlinearity in the cubic oscillator is an effective way to extend the vortex-induced vibration (VIV) upper branch, which results in higher harnessing power and efficiency compared to the linear stiffness cylinder converter. (2) Compared to the linear converter, the overall power increase is substantial. The nonlinear power optimum, occurring at the end of the VIV upper branch, is 63% higher than its linear counterpart. (3) The cubic stiffness converter with low harnessing damping achieves consistently good performance in all the VIV regions because of the hardening restoring force, especially at higher flow velocity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydrokinetic Energy Conversion: Technology, Research, and Outlook)

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20 pages, 7080 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Novel Topology Optimization Approach for Flow Power Loss Minimization Across Fin Arrays

by Ali Ghasemi and Ali Elham

Energies 2020, 13(8), 1987; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13081987 - 17 Apr 2020

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2550

Abstract

Fin arrays are widely utilized in many engineering applications, such as heat exchangers and micro-post reactors, for higher level of fluid–solid contacts. However, high fluid pressure loss is reportedly the major drawback of fin arrays and a challenge for pumping supply, particularly at micro-scales. Previous studies also indicate that fin shapes, spacing and alignment play an important role on the overall pressure losses. Therefore, we present a numerical tool to minimize pressure losses, considering the geometrical aspects related to fin arrays. In this regard, a density-based topology optimization approach is developed based on the pseudo-spectral scheme and Brinkman penalization in 2D periodic domains. Discrete sensitives are derived analytically and computed at relatively low cost using a factorization technique. We study different test cases to demonstrate the flexibility, robustness and accuracy of the present tool. In-line and staggered arrays are considered at various Reynolds numbers and fluid–solid volume fractions. The optimal topologies interestingly indicate a pressure loss reduction of nearly

53.6 %

compared to circular fins. In passive optimization test examples, the added solid parts reduced pressure loss of a circular fin (

9 %

) by eliminating the flow separation and filling the wake region. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydrokinetic Energy Conversion: Technology, Research, and Outlook)

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16 pages, 9290 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Diversion Cavity Geometry on the Performance of Gas-Liquid Two-Phase Mixed Transport Pump

by Chenhao Li, Xingqi Luo, Jianjun Feng, Guojun Zhu and Sina Yan

Energies 2020, 13(8), 1882; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13081882 - 13 Apr 2020

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1826

Abstract

For the purpose of improving the transport capability of the mixed transport pump, a new self-made three-stage deep-sea multiphase pump was taken as the research object. Based on the Euler-Euler heterogeneous flow model, liquid (water) and gas (air) are used as the mixed media to study the external characteristics and internal flow identities of the mixed pump under different gas volume fraction (GVF) conditions. According to the simulation results, a local optimal design scheme of the diversion cavity in the dynamic and static connection section is proposed. The numerical results before and after the optimization are compared and analyzed to explore the effect of the diversion cavity optimization on the performance, blade load and internal flow identities of the pump. The results show that the head and efficiency are obviously improved when the inner wall of the diversion cavity is reduced by 4 mm along the radial direction. After optimization, under the condition of 10% gas content, the head and efficiency is increased by 3.73% and 2.91% respectively. Meanwhile, the hydraulic losses of the diversion cavity and diffuser are reduced by 9.11% and 4.32% respectively. The gas distribution in the impeller is improved obviously and the phenomenon of a large amount of gas phase accumulation is eliminated in the channel. In addition, the abnormal pressure load on the blade surface is eliminated and the turbulent flow energy intensity is reduced. The average turbulent kinetic energy (

T_{K}

) at i = 0.51 of the first stage impeller passage is reduced by 35%. Finally, the reliability of the numerical method is verified by the experimental results. To sum up, the performance and internal flow identities of the optimized mixed transport pump are improved, which verifies the availability and applicability of the optimization results. This provides a reference for the research and design of a multiphase mixed transport pump in the future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydrokinetic Energy Conversion: Technology, Research, and Outlook)

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13 pages, 9136 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Theoretical Hydrokinetic Power Potential Assessment of the U-Tapao River Basin Using GIS

by Fida Ali, Chatchawin Srisuwan, Kuaanan Techato, Adul Bennui, Tanita Suepa and Damrongrit Niammuad

Energies 2020, 13(7), 1749; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13071749 - 06 Apr 2020

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2540

Abstract

Conventional hydropower technologies such as dams have been criticized due to their negative environmental effects which have necessitated the development of new technologies for sustainable development of hydropower energy. Hydrokinetic (HK) energy is one such emerging renewable energy technology and, in this study, a theoretical potential assessment was done using a Geographic Information System (GIS) and Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) hydrological model, for the U-Tapao river basin (URB), a major tributary of the Songkhla lake basin (SLB) in southern Thailand. The SWAT was calibrated and validated with SWAT calibration and uncertainty (SWAT-CUP)-SUFI 2 programs using the observed discharge data from the gauging stations within the watershed. The model performance was evaluated based on the Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) and the coefficient of determination (R²) values, achieving 0.62 and 0.60, respectively, for calibration, and 0.65 and 0.68 for validation which is considered acceptable and can be used to represent flow estimation. The theoretical HK potential was estimated to be 71.9 MW along the 77.18 km U-Tapao river, which could be developed as a renewable and reliable energy source for the communities living around the river. The method developed could also be applied to river systems around the world for resource and time efficient HK potential assessments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydrokinetic Energy Conversion: Technology, Research, and Outlook)

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22 pages, 2376 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Field Experiment on Wave Forces on an Energy-Absorbing Breakwater

by Pasquale G. F. Filianoti and Luana Gurnari

Energies 2020, 13(7), 1563; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13071563 - 27 Mar 2020

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2369

Abstract

The U-OWC is a caisson breakwater embodying a device for wave energy absorption. Under the wave action, the pressure acting on the upper opening of the vertical duct fluctuates, producing a water discharge alternatively entering/exiting the plant through the U-duct, formed by the duct and the chamber. The interaction between incoming waves and the water discharge alters the wave pressure distribution along the wave-beaten wall of this breakwater compared with the pressure distributions on a vertical pure reflecting wall. As a consequence, the horizontal wave forces produced on the breakwater are also different. A small scale U-OWC breakwater was put off the eastern coast of the Strait of Messina (Southern Italy) to measure the horizontal wave force. Experimental results were compared with Boccotti’s and Goda’s wave pressure formulas, carried out for conventional upright breakwaters, to check their applicability on the U-OWC breakwaters. Both models are suitable for design of U-OWC breakwaters even if they tend to overestimate by up to 25% the actual horizontal loads on the breakwater. Indeed, the greater the absorption of the energy is, the lower the wave pressure on the breakwater wall is. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydrokinetic Energy Conversion: Technology, Research, and Outlook)

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18 pages, 6894 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Optimization of Pump Turbine Closing Operation to Minimize Water Hammer and Pulsating Pressures During Load Rejection

by Jiawei Ye, Wei Zeng, Zhigao Zhao, Jiebin Yang and Jiandong Yang

Energies 2020, 13(4), 1000; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13041000 - 23 Feb 2020

Cited by 30 | Viewed by 3075

Abstract

In load rejection transitional processes in pumped-storage plants (PSPs), the process of closing pump turbines, including guide vane (GVCS) and ball valve closing schemes (BVCS), is crucial for controlling pulsating pressures and water hammer. Extreme pressures generated during the load rejection process may result in fatigue damage to turbines, and cracks or even bursts in the penstocks. In this study, the closing schemes for pump turbine guide vanes and ball valves are optimized to minimize water hammer and pulsating pressures. A model is first developed to simulate water hammer pressures and to estimate pulsating pressures at the spiral case and draft tube of a pump turbine. This is combined with genetic algorithms (GA) or non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II) to realize single- or multi-objective optimizations. To increase the applicability of the optimized result to different scenarios, the optimization model is further extended by considering two different load-rejection scenarios: full load-rejection of one pump versus two pump turbines, simultaneously. The fuzzy membership degree method provides the best compromise solution for the attained Pareto solutions set in the multi-objective optimization. Employing these optimization models, robust closing schemes can be developed for guide vanes and ball valves under various design requirements. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydrokinetic Energy Conversion: Technology, Research, and Outlook)

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19 pages, 6094 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Vortex-Induced Vibration Characteristics of a PTC Cylinder with a Free Surface Effect

by Dahai Zhang, Lei Feng, Hao Yang, Tianjiao Li and Hai Sun

Energies 2020, 13(4), 907; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13040907 - 18 Feb 2020

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2224

Abstract

The experimental study of vortex induced vibration needs to be carried out in water tunnel, but in previous associated simulation work, the water tunnel was treated as an infinite flow field in the depth direction with the effect of the free surface neglected. In the paper, the dynamic characteristics and physical mechanisms of a passive turbulence control (PTC) cylinder in a flow field with a free surface is studied, and the combined technique of a volume of fluid (VOF) method and vortex-induced vibration (VIV) was realized. In the range of Reynolds number studied in this paper (3.5 × 10⁴ ≤ Re ≤ 7.0 × 10⁴), the dynamic parameters (lift and drag coefficients), vortex structures, VIV response (amplitude and frequency ratios), and energy harvesting characteristics of a PTC cylinder under different flow conditions were obtained. The study found that: (1) the shear layer was made more unstable behind the cylinder by the free surface, which made it quicker to reach periodic stability, and the asymmetry shortened the initial stage of vibration of the oscillator, which made it easier to produce dynamic control of the motion of the oscillator; (2) the presence of the free surface only affected the positive amplitude ratio, but had almost no effect on the negative amplitude ratio; (3) the frequency ratio in the free surface flow was closer to the experimental data; (4) the presence of the free surface did not affect the detached vortex pattern in the flow around the stationary cylinder, but in the VIV, the lower the free surface height Z, the more vortices that were shed from the moving cylinder. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydrokinetic Energy Conversion: Technology, Research, and Outlook)

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15 pages, 3491 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Parametric Analysis of an Energy-Harvesting Device for a Riser Based on Vortex-Induced Vibrations

by Xu Bai, Chuanyu Han and Yong Cheng

Energies 2020, 13(2), 414; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13020414 - 15 Jan 2020

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1855

Abstract

An energy-harvesting device for a riser based on vortex-induced vibration is proposed to overcome the power supply problem for a marine deep-water riser-monitoring device. To estimate the upper limit of its energy-capture efficiency, as well as the weight and size of the device designed, a discrete model of the riser was configured. With the experimental settings of Stappenbelt and Blevins, vortex-induced vibrations of the discrete cylinder with two degrees of freedom were simulated, and the parameters affecting the energy-acquisition efficiency of the riser were analyzed. The analysis of the dimensionless amplitude ratio showed that this ratio for the system decreased with increasing mass ratio and damping ratio. An analysis showed that the influences of the damping ratio on the energy-capture efficiency were different under medium and low-mass-ratio conditions. A maximum value of 38.44% was achieved when the mass ratio was 2.36 and the damping ratio was 0.05. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydrokinetic Energy Conversion: Technology, Research, and Outlook)

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18 pages, 652 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Enhance of Energy Harvesting from Transverse Galloping by Actively Rotating the Galloping Body

by Antonio Barrero-Gil, David Vicente-Ludlam, David Gutierrez and Francisco Sastre

Energies 2020, 13(1), 91; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13010091 - 23 Dec 2019

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 2307

Abstract

Kinematic rotary control is here proposed conceptually to enhance energy harvesting from Transverse Galloping. The effect of actively orientating the galloping body with respect to the incident flow, by imposing externally a rotation of the body proportional to the motion-induced angle of attack, is studied. To this end, a theoretical model is developed and analyzed, and numerical computations employing the Lattice Boltzmann Method are carried out. Good agreement is found between theoretical model predictions and numerical simulations results. It is found that it is possible to increase significantly the efficiency of energy harvesting with respect to the case without active rotation, which opens the path to consider this idea in practical realizations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydrokinetic Energy Conversion: Technology, Research, and Outlook)

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