Analysis of Wake Turbulence for a Savonius Turbine for Malaysia’s Slow-Moving Current Flow

Anas Abdul Rahman (Mechanical Engineering Program, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering Technology, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Pauh Putra Main Campus, 02600 Perlis)
Kumaran Rajendran (Mechanical Engineering Program, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering Technology, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Pauh Putra Main Campus, 02600 Perlis)
Ayu Abdul-Rahman (Department of Mathematics and Statistics, School of Quantitative Sciences, Universiti Utara Malaysia, 06010 UUM, Sintok, Kedah)
Gisrina Elin Suhri (Mechanical Engineering Program, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering Technology, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Pauh Putra Main Campus, 02600 Perlis)
Lakshuman Dass (Mechanical Engineering Program, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering Technology, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Pauh Putra Main Campus, 02600 Perlis)

International Journal of Renewable Energy Development
Vol 11, No 4 (2022): November 2022

With Malaysia being surrounded by water bodies, tidal energy could be used for energy extraction. While several turbine designs and technologies have been used for tidal energy extraction, information on the use of vertical-axis tidal turbines (VATTs) for shallow-water applications is scarce. However, implementing horizontal-axis tidal turbines (HATTs) is not feasible due to Malaysian ocean depths. Hence, examining the wake-flow characteristics of VATTs in a shallow water-working environment in Malaysia is essential. The wake turbulence of the Savonius turbine model was compared with that of a hypothetical ‘actuator' cylinder, a VATT representation. Subsequently, the wake turbulences of a Savonius turbine model in static and dynamic simulations were compared to understand the flow distinction. Compared with that exhibited by the hypothetical actuator cylinder of 2.5 m, the hypothetical actuator cylinder of 5 m exhibits greater velocity deceleration. Additionally, the modelled Savonius turbine exhibits significantly more deceleration than that exhibited by the hypothetical actuator cylinder. Finally, the analysis of the static model of the Savonius turbine shows deceleration that is greater than that of the dynamic model.