Larrance Xing
Pronouns:
Research Mentor(s): Michael Bernitsas
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering / Engineering
Program:
Authors: Larrance Xing, Onggo Nichita, Michael Bernitsas
Session: Session 7: 4:40 pm – 5:30 pm
Poster: 103
Abstract
Flow-induced oscillation (FIO) is a fluid-structure interaction (FSI) phenomenon in which the body motion and the excitation from the fluid couple together to affect each other. Bodies with blunt cross sections develop periodic vortical wakes, often leading to catastrophic results. The vast majority of modern day hydrokinetic energy harvesters rely on mechanisms which are overly location dependent and pose severe environmental problems, such as turbines which slice up fish or dams which ruin habitats. In recent years, the VIVACE converter has been developed to control FIOs and harness the vast amount of hydrokinetic energy contained in horizontal currents while mitigating the location-dependency and environmental issues of other mechanisms. This study seeks to determine the parameters which optimize the VIVACE converter and expand upon the findings of studies correlating efficient power generation with fish undulation patterns. To do so, this study simulated fluid flow across the VIVACE converter using OpenFOAM Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Software for parameters matching those utilized in University of Michigan’s Marine Renewable Energy (MRE) Laboratory. To decrease run-time, a thin cross section of the cylinder was used in the simulations rather than the whole cylinder. The results were animated using Paraview, then analyzed frame by frame and compared to experimental data yielded by the MRE Lab in order to understand the fluid dynamic phenomena (vortex interactions, bistabilities, etc.) which resulted in changes in efficiency. Understanding the fluid dynamic phenomena then allowed for determining parameters which can better harness the energy of the flow, furthering the process of optimizing VIVACE. Ultimately, the importance of this study cannot be understated, as it brings us one step closer to achieving a sustainable energy future for communities worldwide.
