Modeling an Oscillating Water Foil for Hydro-kinetic Power Generator Using COMSOL 3.5a

R. Kallenberg[1], R. Han[2], and J. Cherry[2]
[1]Kallenberg Enterprises, Fairbanks, AK, USA
[2]University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA
Published in 2010

The research team has devised and patented an oscillating, hydro-kinetic power-generating device for use in river and tidal environments. The interaction of water and the designed foil in a straight rectangular turbulent channel is modeled explicitly using two conservation laws: conservation of momentum and conservation of mass. The incompressible Navier-Stokes application mode in COMSOL 3.5a is used in this simulation to solve the distribution of the pressure and the velocity filed. The evaluation of reaction force on the foil is conducted during the post processing. The parametric solver is involved in the computation of solutions for velocities of fluid flow from 0.2 m/s to 5 m/s. Calculated normal forces plotted versus different fluid velocities are also presented.