1

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

The world today is in great demand of electrical energy but while the

demand is high, the resources used for energy generation is constantly

depleting. Fossil fuels and coal are used by developing countries, such as

Philippines, for energy generation yet all the emissions from these resources

can harm the planet and there will come a time that these resources will be

completely depleted. The solution for such problem is the use of alternative

energy that is renewable carbon-emission free resources and one of which is

the tidal energy or the kinetic energy found in the water current.

Water current can be found in rivers, dam outlets, oceans and even in

water faucets. This movement of water has a stored energy in which it is

capable of producing electrical energy. Electrical energy is definitely in high

demand nowadays since it is being utilized in almost everything that we do

today. The different bodies of water or even water itself is a resource that has

almost zero percent of ever running out and it composes 70% of the Earth’s

composition. It can be said that water current is one of the reliable resources

that we can really depend on based on these given facts. With the world

searching for the most sustainable energy, water current can be that alternative

energy source for the job.

As for harnessing the tidal energy, it requires a turbine to cater the water

current and use it to generate an angular movement in the blade. A shaft will
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then transmit the torque produced by the turning turbine into the generator,

thereby, generating electricity. As of today, there are numbers of existing design

for underwater turbines, may it be in fast currents or even in slow currents.

Harnessing tidal energy is still in development. Therefore, a lot of study is still

needed in order to innovate a way to efficiently harvest the energy from water

currents using various design of turbines, to utilize possible devices and

assembly designs which can enhance electricity generation, and to identify

ergonomically approved structures of the whole system with the consideration

of the safety of marine life.

There is a design made in the field of harnessing tidal energy which

includes a duct or a diffuser-like design found behind the blade. The said design

is the focus of the researcher’s study, aiming to discover any other advantages

in using this design. There are many factors to be considered in increasing

efficiency of such design, such as the blade root angle considering the different

velocities of current and even the number of blades and its sizes. The design

of the duct itself is very essential due to the tendency to increase the flow

velocity of the water to make the process more efficient, and can also have a

positive effect in the long run.

Statement of the Problem

Electrical energy is vastly used by people around the world. It has

become part of our lives ever since the modernization of life by industrial

revolution and improvement of technology. It is consumed from sunrise to

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sunset, dusk until dawn, 24 hours, 7 days a week. Yet the exponential rise of

electrical consumption cannot be met by the current, conventional energy

source anymore, especially in the Philippines. Coal and fossil fuels are used by

developing countries for electrical energy generation yet all the carbon

emissions from these energy source are harmful to the planet for it contributes

to the Global Warming that the planet is experiencing now. Also, these

resources will not last long enough for they are not renewable. Therefore, they

will get depleted in the near future. In the field of harnessing tidal energy for

electricity generation, there are still a lot of area for research since it is still in

development. In answer to all these problems, the researchers are aiming to

contribute a solution in electricity generation through tidal energy. Thus, the

design of a Ducted Tidal Turbine Model is proposed for this study.

Significance of the Study

The proposed study provides a model of a Ducted Tidal Turbine that is

applicable to harness energy from low-velocity, low head water streams like

coastal waves, rivers, mountain springs, etc. that cannot be done by

conventional turbines.

Electrical energy is currently in high demand yet the resources available

especially in the Philippines is limited and most of these power plants that

produce electricity are carbon-emitting, which is one of the factors for the

unprecedented warming of the Earth. The proposed Ducted Tidal Turbine

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Model aims to contribute not only as an alternative source of energy, but also,

to reduce Greenhouse effect by being free of carbon-emission.

Objectives of the Study

The main objective of this study is to fabricate and evaluate the performance

of a ducted tidal turbine model with its following specific objectives:

-Design and determine a functional blade root airfoil angle at a

given water current velocity using computational methods.

-Determine the power generated by the ducted tidal turbine using

experimental methods.

Scope and Limitations

The proposed study is focused on the design and fabrication of a Ducted

Tidal Turbine Model which has the capacity to produce electricity from water

currents. The proposed design is just a model for performance evaluation and

data analysis. And due to the lack of financial availability to afford a

dynamometer, or any mechanical power measuring device that can be

operated underwater, the power developed by the shaft connected from the hub

cannot be directly determined by the researchers. The tentative way to

determine the power output of the model is by the generator’s output wattage.
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For simplicity purpose of the research and because the study is solely

focused on the construction of runner blades and duct, the Model is designed

to account for one-direction flow only.

Time and Place of the Study

The proposed shall be conducted in Luwan-Luwan Springs, located at

Poblacion, Quezon, Bukidnon and Blue Water Springs, located at San Jose,

Quezon, Bukidnon, for performance evaluation test during the month of March

to April 2020.
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REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

The world is fast becoming a global village due to the increasing daily

requirement of energy by the whole population all over the world while the earth

in its form stays in the same form (Owusu & Asumadu-Sarkodie, 2016). The

demand for energy all over the globe is rapidly getting higher each day and it is

expected that the non-renewable sources of energy will eventually deplete.

Thus, the use of renewable energy is being rigorously explored nowadays in

order to meet the energy demand of the world in a sustainable and

environment-friendly way. In accordance to this, tidal energy is one of the highly

explored renewable energy source.

Energy Generation

Hydropower

Hydropower is a renewable energy that can be generated from the

energy of a falling water or fast running water and can be harnessed for useful

purposes. With the many issues of energy scarcity, it is one of the most suitable

and efficient source of energy (Elbatran et al., 2015). It is an essential

renewable energy resource worldwide that can be used as a clean and

sustainable substitute for fossil fuels and it can be found in almost everywhere.

However, its development is being attacked with environmental and social

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consequences. (Kaunda, Kimambo, & Nielsen, 2012). In the ‘90’s, the

sustainable development brought the focus on the performance and

commercial viability of indigenous and/or renewable sources of energy in the

Philippines. Among such renewable sources of energy, water or hydropower

itself is the most readily available, and will produce clean domestic source of

electricity which means, no carbon dioxide, no sulfur dioxide, no nitrous oxide

or any other air emissions. The possibility is vast and the resource is available

in most parts of the country that are mountainous and have high rainfall (Lopez,

n.d.).

Tidal Power

Tides are periodical waves that move through the oceans in response

from the forces by the moon and sun. Tides came from the oceans and progress

toward the coastlines where they made the regular rise and fall of the sea

surface (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, n.d.). The demand

for energy resources is significantly increasing over the years in line with the

fast economic development. However, with the decline of fossil fuels and strict

policies on pollution issues it needs that a renewable energy be utilized such

as tidal energy (Zainol, Ismail, Zainol, Abu, & Dahalan, 2017). Tidal power

releases huge amount of renewable energy around the world. Plants that

transform tidal power into electricity using reservoirs and tidal turbines were

built in order to utilize this vast amount of energy (Wang & Wang, 2019). Tidal

energy can be said as one of the best existing source of renewable energies. It
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is clean and will always be there. The method of conversion of tidal energy into

electrical energy is site specific. Therefore, it is designed for specific place

where it will be installed. But the overall method for extracting energy from tides

is similar to the conventional hydroelectric power plants (Mendi, Rao, & Seelam,

2016). The Philippines has not yet entered the field of tidal energy conversion

yet the country already has a vast supply of tidal energy to power the country.

There are many potential sites for tidal energy conversion such as Hinatuan

Passage, San Bernardino Strait, Basilan Strait, San Juanico Strait, Talibon or

Bohol Strait, Basiao Channel, Surigao Strait and Gaboc Channel. The said

places are good sources of tidal energy since it has strong currents and the

depth of the sea is just enough for the plants to be installed. The Philippines

may not have entered the field of tidal conversion yet, but there is a plan of

constructing a $25 million tidal power plant which can power Capul, Northern

Samar with 1.5 MW by 2019 (Philippine Daily Inquirer, 2017).

Tidal Turbines

Ocean Current Turbine is just like a micro hydro kinetic turbine. It

generates electricity from ocean current flow that turns the shaft which is

connected to a generator as the ocean current strikes the turbine blades.

Horizontal and Vertical Axis Turbine are commonly used for the extraction

(Rahman, Badshah, Rafai, & Badshah, 2014).

There are two types of tidal turbine; the Horizontal Axis Tidal Turbines

(HATT) and the Vertical Axis Tidal Turbines. Wind and tidal turbines has the
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same working principle yet they differ since water is 835 times denser than air

(Cai et al., 2011, as cited in Kulkarni, 2016). Also, tidal turbines are submerged

making them vulnerable from different forces. Because of that, tidal turbines

can have smaller blades and rotate slower than a wind turbine but still

generates the same amount of kinetic energy to produce power (Kulkarni,

2016).

Figure 3. Horizontal axis tidal turbine Figure 4. Vertical axis tidal turbine
(Khan, Bhuyan, Iqbal, & Quaicoe, (Khan, Bhuyan, Iqbal, & Quaicoe,
2009) 2009)

According to a study conducted by Vivek et al (2017), which was a review

on vertical and horizontal axis wind turbine, a vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT)

is most commonly used for domestic applications where there is a low

production volume but the efficiency is to be made optimal. This low volume of

production is caused by the low volume also of fluid flow. On the other hand,
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horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT) are fit to be used on applications where

there is a large volume of production, correspondingly due to a large volume of

fluid flow, and the efficiency ought to still be at a high level. Thus, when

integrated with tidal energy applications where water is the working fluid and it

is given that a large volume of flow occur on tidal sources, horizontal axis

turbines are ideal to be used. (Vivek, Gopikrishnan, Murugesh, & Raja

Mohamed, 2017)

Related Studies

A study on the design of a horizontal axis tidal turbine blade that is

incorporated with the concept of bio-mimicry was conducted by Kulkarni (2016).

It involved the design of a default tidal turbine blade using default blade

parameters and measurements. NACA 0018 foil was used in the said study

because it has been found to be suited for use in dealing with tidal energy based

on a prior study by Mehmood et al (2012). The summary of the complete

parameters of the default blade utilized by Kulkarni (2016) is found in Figure 8.

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Figure 8. Complete blade parameters of the default blade. (Kulkarni,

2012)

The hub circle diameter is 40% of the root airfoil chord length. The hub

circle to root airfoil distance is 20% of the total blade height. The root airfoil

maximum thickness is 18%. The root airfoil chord length and total blade radius

are default measurements decided by the researchers. The 10% rule to create

the number of airfoil stations was also utilized in order to define the NACA

stations for the entire blade, shown in figure 9. And the actual lofted image of

the default blade is shown in figure 10.

Figure 9. Defined NACA airfoil stations along the entire length of the blade.
(Kulkarni, 2012)
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Figure 10. Actual lofted blade

In the incorporation of the concept of bio-mimicry, the blade design is

made to be integrated with the form of the caudal fin of a Blue Marlin fish. The

Blue Marlin’s caudal fin was chosen for reference because it is found to have a

profile that looks like a streamline which enables them to adapt to unsteady

marine currents. It also enables them to have the highest swimming propulsion

efficiency based on a previous study by Long (1992). In order to convert the

initial default tidal turbine blade design into the desired bio-mimicked curved

caudal fin shape, a third order polynomial has been defined to act as the new

centerline to which the blade airfoils shall have their profile center sit along into.
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Figure 11. The y-equation graph which constructs the third order polynomial.
(Kulkarni, 2016)

Figure 12. Conversion of the straight blade to the caudal fin blade having the
third order polynomial as the centerline. (Kulkarni, 2016)

For the experimentation of this study of Kulkarni (2016), chord lengths of

the airfoils are varied into 0% (initial straight blade chord length), 25%, 50%,

75% and 100% of chord length percentage and the required chord length was

calculated. The specific parameters and measurements achieved after applying

such conditions are summarized in figure 13.

Equation 1. Formula for the required chord length

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Figure 13. Summarized blade parameters with chord length

percentage (Kulkarni, 2016)

Two dimensional and three dimensional verification and comparison

were done on the source and designed blades in order to determine the most

efficient caudal fin blade. Based on the results of the analysis it was concluded

that the 100% caudal blade chord length percentage is prone to experiencing

higher drag force compared to the others. The varying lift coefficient

distributions across the blade spans are caused by the variation in pressure

distributions. At the blade span of 0.75 to 0.8, it has been observed that the lift

coefficient reached its peak, where the total lift increases with the increasing

pressure. Which then drastically drops down at 0.9 onwards due to the increase
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in the rotational velocity of the blades. The results also showed that the 100%

caudal blade chord length percentage resulted in the lowest lift coefficient

distribution among the four blade designs. Ultimately, the 75% caudal blade

chord length percentage yielded the highest power coefficient values among

the other four caudal blade designs. The CFD results therefore prove that a

curved caudal fin shaped tidal turbine blade produces more efficiency than the

standard horizontal axis tidal turbine (HATT) blade be it in a lower or higher tidal

current velocities (Kulkarni, 2016).

A similar study on blade designs for horizontal axis tidal current turbine

was conducted by Chen et al (2013). Their study was concerned only with

straight centerline blades and their results showed a maximum coefficient of

power of 0.467. Another study on tidal turbine blade design was conducted by

Faudot & Dahlhaug (2011) which was intended for fatigue analysis considering

the actual loads on the blades when the rotor is subjected to regular waves.

Similar to the study of Chen et al (2013), this study involved a straight centerline

blade and it yielded a maximum power coefficient of 0.427 by experiment. Such

result is 1.4% higher than its obtained results from numerical computations.

Thus, the caudal fin blade design by Kulkarni (2016) yields the highest power

coefficient compared to the straight centerline blade designs. And it is therefore

chosen to be utilized in this study, subjecting it to the integration of duct design

in order to attempt to further improve the resulting power coefficient.

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Figure 14. Power coefficient versus output power for the designed five
blades. (Kulkarni, 2016)

There have been many attempts on putting a ducting feature on wind

turbines in order to enhance the performance of the system. But significant

enhancements on performance only occurs at ideal conditions which is not

always attained in actual setting due to several factors such as the additional

weight, the drag force carried at the top of the pylon, the proper alignment of

the duct to the wind direction, and the capability of the system to withstand the

gustiness of the wind (Lawn, 2003).

Open turbines extract energy from the fluid by reducing the flow velocity

with little or no pressure reduction as the fluid passes through the turbine rotor.

This kind of turbine is subjected to the so-called Betz limit which means that

59.3% only of the incident water kinetic energy can be converted into shaft

power. However, ducted turbines are not subjected to the Betz limit. The

theoretical limit of ducted turbines depend upon the pressure difference created

between the duct inlet and outlet, and the volumetric flow through the duct.

These factors also are affected by the shape of the duct and the ratio of the
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duct area to the turbine area. Therefore integrating ducts into conventional open

tidal turbines are potential fields to be studied and improved since previous

studies have concluded that even ducted wind turbines can have a theoretical

limit of about 3.3 times the Betz limit (Kirke, 2003).

Figure 5. Streamlines through turbine in open flow and

Ducted Axial Water Turbine. (Kirke, 2003)

In the study of Jo et al (2016), they designed a duct with specifications

defined based on prior studies and further experimentation. After further

research, a nozzle-diffuser type duct that has 11.2° of nozzle and diffuser angle

showed the highest performance with 1.65 flow amplification factor. However,

the turbine inside the duct blocked and disturbed the flow into the duct, and the

turbine performance was not enhanced significantly. Therefore, they have

conducted further studies on modification for duct shape. To improve the duct

performance, two methods were considered. The first method is to modify the

diffuser angle. Based on their CFD analyses, the 5° case was defined as the

optimal diffuser angle. That case showed the maximum flow amplification factor

of 1.82. Another method is to modify the shape of the outer surface to prevent
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the separation near the inlet. Therefore, three modified ducts were designed

based on the baseline duct shape.

Fig. 6. Duct design with CATIA V5R19. (Jo, Kim, Hwang, & Goo, 2016)

Fig. 7. Three case mock-ups of the duct design. (Jo, Kim, Hwang, & Goo,
2016)

Case 1 has 5° of diffuser angle. Case 2 has a curved surface to prevent

the separation observed in CFD analysis including a tidal turbine. Both the

modified diffuser angle and curved surface, were applied to case 3 to examine

the combined effect on the duct performance. Also, Case 2 and Case 3 have

cut outlet shapes to generate negative pressure behind the outlet due to suction

effects. The duct application has proved the amplification of the flow velocity.

The amplification factors for various duct configurations were obtained by CFD.

Also, experimental validations were conducted to confirm the CFD analyses.

Among the three cases, Case 3 produced the greatest amplification factor

which is 2.15 (Jo, Kim, Hwang, & Goo, 2016).

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Blade Element Momentum Theory

The Blade Element Momentum Theory was developed by Glauert

(1935). It is one of the large variety of methods available today for predicting

performance and loadings in turbines. It relies on the assumption that the flow

takes place in independent stream tubes and that the loading is determined

from two-dimensional sectional airfoil characteristics.

Figure 15. Cross-sectional airfoil element

Potential Installation Sites for Tidal Power plants

Areas close to the coast are the most ideal sites that has the

conveniently harvestable tidal energy and it is estimated to reach 1 terawatt

(TW) in total from all areas around the world. The Philippines is one of the 4

countries together with India, Korea and Russia, that is considered to be a good
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potential source of tidal energy due to its coasts and tidal barrage projects are

being formulated already (IRENA, 2014).

Surigao Strait is located between the regions of Visayas and Mindanao

The strait is deep but has a strong current, up to 8 knots (15km/h; 9.2 mph)

which makes it a potential site for Tidal Turbines. Other locations which also to

be considered are; San Bernardino Strait, Basilan Strait, San Juanico Strait

located between the islands of Samar and Leyte, Talibon Strait and Basiao

Channel located in Bohol, Philippines (IRENA, 2014).

Figure 16. Oceanographic Map of the Philippines.

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MATERIALS AND METHODS

Procedural Framework of the Study

The following major activities will be done to accomplish the indicated

objectives:

Figure 17. Procedural Framework of the Study

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Figure 18. Conceptual Design

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Locale of the Study

For the model testing, significant water flow rate is needed to conduct

an experiment for the proposed study. By this, a location with natural source

of water is chosen by the researchers as the locale for the study, namely;

Luan-Luan Springs and Blue Water Cave.

Luan-Luan Springs at Poblacion, Quezon, Bukidnon is located between

East longitude 125°10’15” and North latitude 7°43’. It is a government-owned

and controlled establishment and use it as a recreational area for the public. It

is also used as a source of water for distribution to the people Municipality of

Quezon, Bukidnon. The site produces a very large quantity of water coming

from below the surface of the Earth and some of its water is not utilized and

dumped directly outside of the vicinity, making it freely available to the public.

The flow rate of the water in the said vicinity is significant enough for the

researchers to conduct the experiment of the study, making Luan-Luan springs

a suitable location for Model testing.

Blue Water Cave is located at San Jose, Quezon, Bukidnon with the

corresponding coordinates; E125°1’30” N7°47’13”. It is an underground river

just below the Pulangi bridge that connects the Municipality of Maramag and

Quezon, Bukidnon and on the river side of the Pulangi river itself. The water

literally has a blue pigment that comes from one of the caves surrounding the

Pulangi river and has a significant flow rate that is suitable for experimentation

of the study. The area is also owned and controlled by the government of the
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Municipality of Quezon, Bukidnon and although, the location is prone to danger,

the government assigned a Tourism Committee to guide the visitors at any

given time.

In gaining access to these desired locations, a letter will be sent to the

Local Government Unit (LGU) of Quezon, Bukidnon, specifically with the

Tourism Committee which is responsible in the management of Luan-Luan

Springs and Blue Water Cave, for it is one of the tourism infrastructure of

Municipality of Quezon, Bukidnon. The researchers will also try to request

assistance in the suitable site to conduct the proposed study.

Figure 19. Dumped Water from Luan-Luan Springs.

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Figure 20. Blue Water Cave

Figure 21. Bukidnon Map showing Selected Area (Quezon)

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DESIGN AND CALCULATIONS

Standard measurements determined by Jo et al (2016) for the duct

design and Kulkarni (2016) for the blade design will be utilized in designing the

model. The measurements of the model shall be identified by using ratio and

proportion methods into the standard sizes.

Duct

Figure 22. Duct designs by Jo et al (2016)

According to the study conducted by Jo et al (2016), as they have studied

these designs using CFD analyses and actual experimentation, Case 3 duct

gives maximum flow amplification among the three designs with a value of 2.18

occurring at a distance of 6.5 cm into the downstream direction from the point

of smallest inner diameter. The measures therefore of this design shall be

replicated into the model using ratio and proportion given that the length of the

model shall be 1800mm.

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𝐷𝑢𝑐𝑡 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑔𝑟𝑢𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑚𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑙 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡

=
7800 𝑚𝑚 1800 𝑚𝑚

Equation (1). Ratio and Proportion from duct parameters to model parameters

Figure 23. Cross-sectional view of duct model and its measurements

Figure 24. Isometric view of duct model

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Blade

The researchers will fabricate three sets of blade runners with varying

blade root airfoil twist angle; 0°, 8°, and 16°.

Kulkarni (2016) on his study on horizontal axis turbine blades utilized

NACA airfoil 0018 as the default blade airfoil and set the measures of the

parameters of the blade as shown in figure 19 and 21. Ratio and proportion

methods are again used in order to achieve the model blade parameter

measures given that the desired total blade radius (R) of the model shall be 200

mm.

Table 3: Blade parameters set by Kulkarni (2016).

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Table 4: Calculated blade model parameters based on proportions suggested

by Kulkarni (2016).
Input parameter Value

Hub-circle-diameter 3.604 mm

Hub-circle-root-airfoil-distance 13.33 mm

Root-airfoil-chord-length 9.01 mm

Total-Blade-Radius 66.67 mm (set)

Table 5: Calculated blade model parameters based on proportions suggested

by Kulkarni (2016).
Station number R (mm) Chord length, c NACA airfoil
(mm)
Root airfoil 13.33 9.01 0018
1 20 6.8476 0018
2 26.67 6.1268 0018
3 33.33 5.406 0018
4 40 4.6852 0018
5 46.67 3.9644 0018
6 53.33 3.2436 0018
7 60 2.5228 0018
Tip airfoil 66.67 1.802 0018

𝐵𝑙𝑎𝑑𝑒 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑔𝑟𝑢𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑏𝑙𝑎𝑑𝑒 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡

=
7400 𝑚𝑚 200 𝑚𝑚

Equation (2). Ratio and Proportion from default blade parameters to model

blade parameters.
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Figure 25. Airfoils designed in SolidWorks

Figure 26. Cross-sectional view of blade model

 31

Figure 27. Rear view of blade model with hub diameter

This study will be concerned also of incorporating the caudal fin blade

design by Kulkarni (2016). Wherein a cubic equation derived by Kulkarni (2016)

in his research will be used in place of the straight centerline through which the

airfoils’ center points are lying unto.

Equation (3). Cubic equation derived by Kulkarni (2016)

Shaft and Generator

The length of the shaft shall be given sufficient allowance in order to

prevent the interference of the generator with the outlet flow of the water in the

duct. A water-proof housing design for the generator and gearbox housing will
 32

also be incorporated since the generator to be used will not be a submersible

one. Thus, additional bearings and oil seals will be utilized at the junction of the

shaft and the housing.

Figure 28. Side view of generator, gear box and shaft assembly

Figure 29. Isometric view of generator, gear box and shaft assembly
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Power available from the Water: 𝐸 = 𝑃𝐸 + 𝐾𝐸

For negligible elevation head, PE = 0

1
𝑃𝐾𝐸 = 𝑚𝑣 2
2

𝑚 = 𝜌𝑄 = 𝜌𝐴𝑣

1
𝑃𝐾𝐸 = 𝜌𝐴𝑣 3
2

𝑣@𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑏𝑖𝑛𝑒 = 𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 × 𝐹𝐴,𝐷𝑢𝑐𝑡

where;

PKE = Pw = Water Power

𝜌 = Density of fluid, kg/m3
A = cross-sectional area, m2
v = Velocity, m/s
FA,Duct = Velocity Amplification Factor of the Duct

Mechanical Power via Rotation

𝑃𝑚 = 𝑇𝜔

𝑇𝑖𝑝 𝑆𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝜔𝑅𝐵𝑙𝑎𝑑𝑒

Tip Speed Ratio (TSR) = =
𝑊𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑉𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑉

where;

Pm = Mechanical Power
T = Torque, N-m
𝜔 = rotation of shaft, rad/sec
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Figure 30. Power Transmission of the Model.

𝑃𝑚 = 𝐶𝑝 𝑃𝑤

𝑃𝑡 = ŋ𝑚 𝑃𝑚

𝑃𝑒 = ŋ𝑔 𝑃𝑡

𝑃𝑒 = 𝐶𝑝 ŋ𝑚 ŋ𝑔 𝑃𝑤

𝑃𝑚 𝑇𝜔
𝐶𝑝 = =
𝑃𝑤 1 𝜌𝐴𝑣 3
2

16
𝐶𝑝 < (𝐵𝑒𝑡𝑧 ′ 𝐿𝑖𝑚𝑖𝑡)
27

𝑃𝑡
ŋ𝑚 =
𝑃𝑚

𝑃𝑒
ŋ𝑔 =
𝑃𝑡

ŋ𝑜𝑣𝑟 = 𝐶𝑝 ŋ𝑚 ŋ𝑔

𝑃𝑒 = ŋ𝑜𝑣𝑟 𝑃𝑤

where;

Pw = Water Power Ŋm = Mechanical Efficiency

Pm = Mechanical Power Ŋg = Generator Efficiency
Pt = Transmission Power Ŋovr = Overall Efficiency
Pe = Electrical Power
Cp = Power Coefficient
 35

SELECTION OF MATERIALS

Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS)

There are countless applications for ABS, amongst of which are keys on

a computer keyboard, plastic face-guard on wall sockets, and LEGO toys. ABS

is very easy to machine and has a low melting temperature making it particularly

simple to use in 3D printing on and FDM machine. It is also relatively

inexpensive compared to other filament types (PLA, PVA, etc.).

ABS is strong, durable, slightly flexible, and has great plastic properties

which is ideal for mechanical parts. During fabrication using ABS, the resulting

material solidifies quickly and has a smooth finish product, which is a suitable

material for the designed runner blades and duct of the proposed study.

However, prolonged exposure to sunlight can deteriorate the integrity of the

material and sometimes release fumes. But in this case, it is unlikely to happen

because it will be submerged underwater. Thus, choosing Acrylonitrile

butadiene styrene as the material for the fabrication using 3D printer.

Table 6: Properties of ABS with its corresponding values

Property Value

Technical Name Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene(ABS)

Chemical Formula (C8H8)x*(C4H6)y*(C3H3N)z

Heat Deflection Temperature (HDT) 98 °C @ 0.46 MPa

Tensile Strength 46 MPa (6600 psi)

 36

Flexural Strength 74 MPa (10800 psi)

Specific Gravity 1.06

Price 1,100.00 Php/kg

**At standard state; 25 °C (77 °F), 100 kPa (14 psi)

Rotor

The rotor mainly consists of runner blades and the hub. The following

parts of the model turbine shall consist of a polymer called Acrylonitrile

butadiene styrene (ABS) which shall be fabricated using a Fused Deposition

Modelling (FDM) 3D Printer. The properties of ABS as previously stated, is

suitable as a material for the rotor part of the turbine.

Shaft

The shaft of the model shall be made of smooth surfaced, thick-walled

stainless steel tube with a nominal diameter of 2 inches. But because the tube

is hollow, it is likely to be driven by water forces than by the power transmitted

from the rotation of the blade runners when submerged, which results to power

loss. This phenomenon happens because the mass of the water is larger than

the mass of the pipe with respect to the volume occupied by the pipe. To

compensate for this, the hollow part of the stainless steel shall be filled with
 37

compacted plastic shreds to make the inside portion of the tube rigid, counter-

acting the pressure exerted by the external waters.

For a lesser friction between the turning of the pipe and the flow of water,

the surface of the pipe will be coated with a shiny solution.

Duct

The duct of the turbine shall also be produced by using Acrylonitrile

butadiene styrene (ABS), the same material used to fabricate the rotor part of

the turbine.

Ball Bearing

A ball bearing is a support system used when dealing with shafts that

are turning. The bearing shall be used as a support of the shaft and to keep the

alignment from hub to the generator. It has the following components; inner

ring, outer ring, balls, and retainer. The ball bearing will be made of smooth

surfaced metal that has an inner diameter of 2 inches, with the inner ring

screwed into the shaft and the outer ring connected to the inside diameter of

the duct by the use of slim rods. The ball bearing shall also be sealed to keep

from interaction with the flowing water, reducing possible losses.

 38

Generator

A permanent magnet DC generator shall be utilized for this research in

order to harness the electricity generated from the rotation of the shaft. It will

be –purchased at an available standard size of 10 cm height by 11 cm width by

5.5 cm length, rated at 350 Watts output power and 2700 rpm rated rotational

speed.

Gear

The gears shall be installed inside the protection box of the generator.

The purpose of the said gear is to increase the rotation of the generator shaft.

The gear arrangement and ratio shall be relative to the required generator shaft

revolution and the theoretical input angular speed from the hub.
 39

MODEL FABRICATION

3D-Printing

Due to the complexity of the dimensions of the designed turbine, the

precision cannot be obtained by manual fabrication. This problem can be solved

by using 3D-Printer instead. A computer-generated three-dimensional design

of some selected parts of the turbine that cannot be precisely made by manual

or handheld operation shall be fabricated using a 3D-Printer.

Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM)

Fused Modelling is the most common type of 3D printer. It uses a

thermoplastic filament, usually Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), which is

heated to its melting point and then extruded. This thin layer of plastic cools and

hardens, immediately binding to layer beneath it. Once a layer is completed,

the base is lowered (usually by about one-sixteenth of an inch) to make room

for the next layer of plastic.

Objects created with an FDM printer start out as a computer-aided

design (CAD) files. Before an object can be printed, its CAD file must be

converted to a format that a 3D printer can understand (usually a .STL format).

FDM can print detailed objects precisely, which is suitable for to fabricate parts

for fit and form of the model turbine.

 40

The runner blades, hub and the duct will be fabricated using an FDM 3D

Printer. The said Apparatus is available for rent located at Iligan City, Misamis

Oriental.

Assembly

The assembly of the model tidal turbine is made to be suited for the 10

cm height by 11 cm width by 5.5 cm length standard permanent magnet

generator in order to match its rated power output and rated rotational speed.

This generator will be enclosed by a water-proof housing to be sealed by oil

seals and bearings in the portion where the housing and the shaft meets. A

gearbox with a sufficient gear ratio is also to be installed unto the shaft

connecting it to the generator. This gearbox is utilized to cope up with the rated

rotational speed of the generator given the output rotational speed of the shaft.

After the shaft-gearbox-generator assembly is successfully mated, the other

end of the shaft will be inserted and constrained by a thin vertical member inside

the duct, having bearings, in order to hold the turbine at place. The end of the

shaft shall be connected unto the hub of the different turbine blades with varying

root blade airfoil twist angle.

 41

PERFORMANCE TEST AND EVALUATION

It has been stated in previous studies that the maximum blade root airfoil

twist angle limit is 16° (Kulkarni, 2016). Thus, this study will tackle on varying

the blade root airfoil twist angle to test if the incorporation of the duct will allow

a smaller twist angle to be utilized. This is found significant because it is easier

to manufacture a less twisted blade.

The experiment will be done on three varying blade root airfoil twist

angles, which are; 0°, 8° and 16°. The experiment will also be conducted on

three different locations of varying tidal current velocity. Table 7 shows the table

where the data from the experiments will be tabulated.

Table 7.1: Voltage Output 0° twist root airfoil angle in different locations.

Root airfoil Location Voltage Reading Current Reading

twist Angle (Volts) (Ampere)

(°)

0° 2

3
 42

Table 7.2: Voltage Output 8° twist root airfoil angle in different locations.

Root airfoil Location Voltage Reading Current Reading

twist Angle (Volts) (Ampere)

(°)

8° 2

Table 7.3: Voltage Output 16° twist root airfoil angle in different locations.

Root airfoil Location Voltage Reading Current Reading

twist Angle (Volts) (Ampere)

(°)

16° 2

3
 43

Current vs. Voltage

1.2

1
Voltage (Volts)

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Current (A)

Location 1 Location 2 Location 3

Figure 31. Current vs. Voltage graph for 0° blade root airfoil twist angle

Current vs. Voltage

1.2

1
Voltage (Volts)

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Current (A)

Location 1 Location 2 Location 3

Figure 32. Current vs. Voltage graph for 8° blade root airfoil twist angle
 44

Current vs. Voltage

1.2

1
Voltage (Volts)

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Current (A)

Location 1 Location 2 Location 3

Figure 33. Current vs. Voltage graph for 16° blade root airfoil twist angle

Cp vs. Tip Speed Ratio

1.2

0.8
Cp

0.6

0.4

0.2

0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Tip Speed Ratio

0° 8° 16°

Figure 34. Power coefficient (Cp) vs. Tip Speed Ratio

 45

Power vs. Water Current Speed

1.2

0.8
Power (W)

0.6

0.4

0.2

0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Water Current Speed (m/s)

0° 8° 16°

Figure 35. Power vs. Water Current Speed

Conclusions shall be drawn according to the results presented in these

line graphs. The researchers have chosen to utilize a line graph in order to

assess easily by inspection how each point varies progressively through time.

It would also be convenient to identify points of lowest value and highest value

for every given situation for experimentation.

The graphs for the power coefficient and efficiency in terms of power

output will also be included here upon the interpretation of the results.
 46

ANALYSIS OF DATA

- Tip speed ratio

- Power Coefficient

-
 47

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

Expected Output

The expected output of the proposed study would be to find the optimal

system that generates more electricity based on the blade root airfoil twist angle

with respect to the water velocity depending on the tip speed ratio, power

coefficient, and the respective efficiencies of the system.

 48

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