On the wake of propeller hydrokinetic turbines: Numerical simulations and experiments

Abstract The objective of this paper is to characterize the wake flow from a high-solidity propeller four-blade horizontal axis rotor commonly used in hydrokinetic turbines. A numerical and experimental study was conducted to describe the turbulent flow in the wake. Velocity flow measurements were obtained using PIV and hot-wire anemometry techniques in two different wind tunnel facilities. CFD simulations were carried out using a 3D full description of the rotating turbine rotor with an unsteady model. Additionally, simulations were conducted using a simplified model that described the rotor as actuator lines. The numerical results and experimental data were compared, and the study achieved good results for estimating machine performance and describing the main vortex structures in the turbine wake.