3-D CFD analysis on effect of hub-to-tip ratio on performance of impulse turbine for wave energy conversion

This paper deals with the computational fluid dynamics analysis on effect of hub-to-tip ratio on performance of 0.6 m impulse turbine for wave energyconversion. Experiments have been conducted on the 0.6 m impulse turbinewith 0.6 hub-to-tip ratio to validate the present computational fluid dynamics method and to analyze the aerodynamics in rotor and guide vanes, which demonstrates the necessity to improve the blade and guide vanes shape. Computational fluid dynamics analy sis has been made on impulse turbine with differ ent hub-to-tip ratio for various flow co efficients. The present computational fluid dynamics model can predict the experimental values with reasonable degree of accuracy. It also showed that the down stream guide vanes make considerable to tal pressure drop thus reducing the performance of the turbine. The computational fluid dynamics results showed that at the de signed flow co efficient of 1.0 the turbine with 0.5 hub-to-tip ra - tio has better performance compared to 0.55 and 0.6 hub-to-tip ratio turbine.