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Effect of asymmetrical tip clearances on energy performance and cavitation characteristics of NACA0009 hydrofoil in tidal energy

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Abstract

Tidal energy is an important renewable energy that uses the potential energy created by the rising and falling of ocean tides to generate electricity. The tip leakage vortex (TLV) and cavitation caused by the tip leakage flow have adverse effects on the energy conversion efficiency and stable operation of the tubular turbine. The selection of the tip clearance shape is critical. Therefore, the effects of four different combinations of asymmetrical tip clearance shapes on the energy and cavitation characteristics of hydrofoils are studied in this paper. The results show that the TLV remains unchanged when tipwall and endwall are sinusoidal and cosine curve shaped, respectively. When tip clearance is the combination of a flat tipwall and a sinusoidal endwall, the lift-drag ratio decreases by 10.72 %. The high shear stress region of tipwall near leading edge decreases. The flow resistance of the leakage flow decreases, and the leakage flow becomes more serious. The cavitation volume is 2.5 times that under the original flat tip clearance. When tip clearance is the combination of a flat tipwall and a cosine endwall, and the lift-drag ratio increases by 9.67 %. The shear stress increases, the leakage flow decreases. The swirling strength around the center of the vortex core is weakened. The cavitation volume is 3.81, with a decrease of nearly 30 %. A proper asymmetrical tip clearance can effectively improve the energy performance and cavitation characteristics of hydrofoils. This study provides theoretical support for the design and optimization of hydraulic machine with tip clearance.

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Abbreviations

C D :

Drag coefficient

C L :

Lift coefficient

C P :

Pressure coefficient

K :

Lift-drag ratio

IV :

Induced vortex

PS :

Pressure surface

Q I :

Leakage rate [kg/s]

SS :

Suction surface

TLV :

Tip leakage vortex

PTLV :

Primary tip leakage vortex

PTLVC :

Primary tip leakage vortex cavitation

STLV :

Secondary tip leakage vortex

TSV :

Tip separation vortex

STLVC :

Secondary tip leakage vortex cavitation

V gap :

Leakage velocity [m/s]

V cav :

Total cavitation volume

α v :

Water vapor volume fraction

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 52079108, 52206054 and 51906200), China, the Natural Science Foundation of Shaanxi Province (Grant No. 2023-JC-QN-0446, 2021JM-328), China, the Natural Science Projects of Shaanxi Education Department (Grant No.22JK0482), China.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Eco-hydraulics in Northwest Arid Region, Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an, 710048, China

    Like Wang & Xingqi Luo

  2. Institute of Water Resources and Hydro-electric Engineering, Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an, 710048, China

    Xingqi Luo, Jinling Lu, Jianjun Feng, Guojun Zhu, Wei Wang & Kai Wang

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Correspondence to Jinling Lu.

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Jinling Lu received his Ph.D. degree from Xi’an Jiaotong University, China, in 2005. He is currently a Professor in Xi’an University of Technology. His main scientific interests are optimization and design of hydraulic machinery, CFD simulations and flow measurements by PIV.

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Wang, L., Luo, X., Lu, J. et al. Effect of asymmetrical tip clearances on energy performance and cavitation characteristics of NACA0009 hydrofoil in tidal energy. J Mech Sci Technol 37, 4717–4728 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-023-0826-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-023-0826-6

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