Using an improved FVCOM numerical model, combined with the momentum-sinking scheme based on the structural characteristics of specific turbines, this study analyzed the temporal and spatial distributions of tidal ener...Using an improved FVCOM numerical model, combined with the momentum-sinking scheme based on the structural characteristics of specific turbines, this study analyzed the temporal and spatial distributions of tidal energy resources before and after the deployment of tidal turbines near Pingtan Island, China. Considering factors such as the distribution of tidal stream energy, bathymetry, topography, and the design parameters of the turbines, an appropriate location for a demonstration tidal turbine was selected and the corresponding energy resource was evaluated. Several sites with strong tidal streams were considered： south of the northern cape, east of the southem cape, and the southern end of Haitan Bay. The former was thought most suitable for the deployment of a tidal energy turbine, with projected power generation for approximately 470 h per month. The average power of this demonstration was about 2.4 kW, and the annual electricity output was approximately 17.47 MWh. The intervention of the turbine device had little influence on the near-field tidal stream or water level. The tidal stream was reduced slightly in the area south of the northern cape, although the effect weakened further from the turbine. Conversely, the velocity increased slightly on both sides of the demonstration site. The difference in current speed with and without the turbine was greater at slack tide than still tide. The influence of turbine operation on water level was minor. The method adopted in this study can be considered a reference for the selection of sites for the demonstration of tidal stream energy. However, the method is unable describe the dynamic characteristics of the turbulent flow surrounding the deployed turbines, which has an important role regarding the optimal designs of the turbine blade and pile foundations. Therefore, we will continue to work to improve this model in future research.展开更多
In recent decades,great efforts have been made to efficiently explore tidal stream energy due to its unique advantages of easy prediction and great potential.China recently launched a national tidal stream farm demons...In recent decades,great efforts have been made to efficiently explore tidal stream energy due to its unique advantages of easy prediction and great potential.China recently launched a national tidal stream farm demonstration project in the waterway between Putuoshan and Hulu Islands in the Zhoushan area.Before deployment of the turbine array,it is necessary to understand the hydrodynamic changes associated with the construction of a turbine array.In this study,we developed a depth-averaged hydrodynamics model that solves the shallow water governing equations to simulate the tidal hydrodynamics around the Zhoushan Archipelago.The simulation results agree with field data in terms of the water elevation and stream velocity.We considered two types of turbine arrays in this study and investigated their impacts on the local hydrodynamics.In general,the stream velocity in the northern and southern areas is reduced due to the power take-off of the turbine array,whereas stream velocity in the western and eastern areas is slightly increased due to the blockage impact of the turbine array.展开更多
The authors have invented a unique counter-rotating type tidal stream power unit, which is composed of tandem propellers and a double rotational armature type generator without a stator. The front and the rear propell...The authors have invented a unique counter-rotating type tidal stream power unit, which is composed of tandem propellers and a double rotational armature type generator without a stator. The front and the rear propellers drive, as for an upstream type, the inner and the outer rotational armatures in the counter-rotating directions respectively, which keep the rotational torques counter-balanced between both propellers and armatures. This paper investigates experimentally the output and forces acting on a pile in a water channel, to get design materials of the mono-pile type tidal stream power unit. The output is maximal at the moderate rotational speed, as the same as a wind turbine. The force acting on the pile is affected by the drag, the Karman vortex and the dynamic balances of the tandem propellers, and has dominant frequencies due to not only the individual but also the interacting rotation of the front and the rear propellers.展开更多
Nowadays,concerns arise because of the depletion of fossil fuel resources that forced scientists to develop new energy extraction methods.One of these renewable resources is tidal energy,where Iran has this potential ...Nowadays,concerns arise because of the depletion of fossil fuel resources that forced scientists to develop new energy extraction methods.One of these renewable resources is tidal energy,where Iran has this potential significantly.There are many ways to obtain the kinetic energy of the fluid flow caused by the moon’s gravitational effect on seas.Using horizontal axis tidal turbines is one of the ways to achieve the kinetic energy of the fluid.Since this type of turbine has similar technology to horizontal axis wind turbines,they may be an appropriate choice for constructing a tidal power plant in Iran.This paper presents the numerical simulation and momentum method of a three-bladed horizontal axis tidal turbine.To validate the thrust and power coefficients for a fixed pitch angle at the blade tip speed ratio of 4 to 10 are compared with experimental results.In this modelling,the rotating geometry simulation has been used.Results show that using a numerical method and blade element momentum,we can predict the horizontal axis tidal turbine’s thrust with an error of less than 10%.The numerical method has better accuracy in higher speed ratios,and it is appropriate to predict the behaviour of fluid in collision with turbines and its wake effects.展开更多
The authors have proposed that a counter-rotating type tidal stream power unit mounted rigidly on a pile, and outputs of the power unit and forces acting on the pile were investigated experimentally at a previous pape...The authors have proposed that a counter-rotating type tidal stream power unit mounted rigidly on a pile, and outputs of the power unit and forces acting on the pile were investigated experimentally at a previous paper, A single propeller makes the pile undertake a reaction force orthogonal to the stream direction. On the contrary, proposed counter-rotating propellers do not require undertaking the reaction force of the pile, because the rotational torque is counter-balanced in the unit. This advantage means that the unit can be moored by only one cable. Continuously, this paper proposes such a power unit with tandem propellers, and experimentally investigates a behavior of the unit floating in a water channel. The vibrations of the power unit are induced from not only the individual but also the interacting rotations of the front and the rear propellers.展开更多
It is important to understand the relationship between the ambient ebb and flood currents and the electricity generated by tidal stream power generators to minimise investment risk and to optimise power generation for...It is important to understand the relationship between the ambient ebb and flood currents and the electricity generated by tidal stream power generators to minimise investment risk and to optimise power generation for distribution purposes. Such analyses no longer rely on average descriptions of the flow field or on single values for the device efficiency. In the present paper, we demonstrate a new method involving the integration of synthesised long termflow vectors with logistic descriptions of the device power curves. New experiments are then described with the Neptune Proteus vertical axis tidal stream power generator involving tow tests at speeds to 1.5 ms–1 in William Wright Dock on the Humber. The results are used to derive appropriate coefficients in the logisticcurve and to estimate the device’s annual electrical output.展开更多
Tidal stream power units with horizontal-axis propellers are one of promising technologies for generating the renewable green energy. The ebb and flow require that the power unit must operate in bidirectional tidal st...Tidal stream power units with horizontal-axis propellers are one of promising technologies for generating the renewable green energy. The ebb and flow require that the power unit must operate in bidirectional tidal streams. Hence a tidal stream power unit with counter-rotating type horizontal-axis bidirectional propellers is proposed in this paper. The blades with fully-symmetrical hydrofoils were optimized numerically. The output and flow conditions predicted by the computational fluid dynamics simulations are compared with the results of the wind tunnel experiments at the higher tip speed ratios, which are of expected usual operating conditions of this unit. The numerical and experimental results show good agreements. It is also confirmed that the flow discharged from the counter-rotating type propellers has no swirling component, though the single propeller generates the unacceptable swirling component.展开更多
Ocean energy has a potential of providing a large amount of renewable energy around the world. One of the forms of ocean energy, tidal stream power is widely recognized as the continuous, predictable and eco-friendly ...Ocean energy has a potential of providing a large amount of renewable energy around the world. One of the forms of ocean energy, tidal stream power is widely recognized as the continuous, predictable and eco-friendly ocean energy source. Unique tandem propellers that can counter-rotate have been designed to generate electric power effectively from a tidal stream. This type of power unit has several advantages compare to the conventional unit with a single propeller. At the design of the tidal stream power unit, it is important to investigate the structure of the tip vortex tubes shedding to predict the load of the propeller. In this research, we investigated the tip vortex shedding using the CFD method for the conventional single propeller and counter-rotating type tandem propellers and estimated the performance efficiency using RANS (Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes) model and we confirmed the limitation of RANS model on the calculation of the tip vortex stretching.展开更多
The authors have invented the unique counter-rotating type tidal stream power unit composed of the tandem pro- peUers and the double rotational armature type peculiar generator without the traditional stator. The fron...The authors have invented the unique counter-rotating type tidal stream power unit composed of the tandem pro- peUers and the double rotational armature type peculiar generator without the traditional stator. The front and the rear propellers counter-drive the inner and the outer armatures of the peculiar generator, respectively. The unit has the fixftful advantages that not only the output is sufficiently higher without supplementary equipment such as a gearbox, but also the rotational moment hardly act on the pillar because the rotational torque of both propel- lers/armatures are counter-balanced in the unit. This paper discusses experimentally the performances of the power unit and the effects of the propeller rotation on the sea surface. The axial force acting on the pillar in- creases naturally with the increase of not only the stream velocity but also the drag of the tandem propellers. Be- sides, the force vertical to the stream also acts on the pillar, which is induced from the Karman vortex street and the dominant frequencies appear owing to the front and the rear propeller rotations. The propeller rotating in close to the sea surface brings the abnormal wave and the amplitude increases as the stream velocity is faster and/or the drag is stronger.展开更多
In the past decade, the tidal energies have caused worldwide concern as it can provide regular and predictable re- newable energy resource for power generation. The majority of technologies for exploiting the tidal st...In the past decade, the tidal energies have caused worldwide concern as it can provide regular and predictable re- newable energy resource for power generation. The majority of technologies for exploiting the tidal stream energy are based on the concept of the horizontal axis propellers, which can be derived from the design and operation of wind turbines. However, there are some peculiar features such as the propeller working in the seawater with free surface and the possible occurrence of cavitation as compared with wind turbines. Especially, for a coun- ter-rotating type tidal stream power turbine, it is difficult to accurately predict the interaction between the front and rear blades at the design stage by blade element momentum theory. As a result, CFD shows its advantage to predict the performance of counter-rotating type propellers of the tidal stream turbi^le. In order to improve the accuracy of CFD predictions, the predicted results must be verified with experimental values. In this paper, a CFD model using block-structured grid was set up and experimental test was performed in a water tunnel for a tidal stream turbine with counter-rotating type propellers. The comparison between CFD predictions and experimental data shows quite good agreement on the power coefficients, which provides an evidence of validation of the CFD model. Such results offer the necessary confidence in the accuracy of the set up CFD model for the coun- ter-rotating type tidal stream turbine.展开更多
Marine turbines have been extensively utilized to harness tidal stream energy from free-flowing tides and currents. However, the assessment of the influences of these marine structures on the surrounding environment i...Marine turbines have been extensively utilized to harness tidal stream energy from free-flowing tides and currents. However, the assessment of the influences of these marine structures on the surrounding environment is still in its early stage. In this study, a numerical model that couples hydrodynamics and sediment transport is developed to simulate the scour processes around a monopile-supported horizontal axial tidal stream turbine under steady currents. The flow characteristics are calculated by solving the 3-D Navier-Stokes equations with the k -ω shear stress transport (SST) turbulence model for closure. The simulation of sediment bed elevation is achieved by solving the Exner equation. The turbine rotor is parameterized using the actuator line method. The developed model is validated against wake velocity and scour depth measurement obtained from previous literature, showing a good agreement. Subsequently, the effects of tip clearance on the flow characteristics around the turbine model on a rigid flatbed are examined. Finally, the scour processes of the turbine model are presented, along with the vortex system within the scour hole. The numerical model proposed in this study has the potential to contribute to the understanding of the scour mechanism of the tidal stream turbines.展开更多
Tidal stream energy is a type of marine renewable energy which is close to commercial-scale production. Tidal stream turbine arrays are considered as the one of the most promising exploitation methods. However, compar...Tidal stream energy is a type of marine renewable energy which is close to commercial-scale production. Tidal stream turbine arrays are considered as the one of the most promising exploitation methods. However, compared to the relatively mature technology of single turbine design and installation, the current knowledge on the hydrodynamic processes of tidal stream turbine arrays is still limited. Coastal models with simplified turbine representations based on the shallow water equation are among the most favorable methods for studying the tidal stream energy extraction processes in realistic sites. This paper presents a review of the progress and challenges in assessing the tidal stream energy.展开更多
Constructive interference between tidal stream turbines in multi-rotor fence configurations arrayed normally to the flow has been shown analytically, computationally, and experimentally to enhance turbine performance....Constructive interference between tidal stream turbines in multi-rotor fence configurations arrayed normally to the flow has been shown analytically, computationally, and experimentally to enhance turbine performance. The increased resistance to bypass flow due to the presence of neighbouring turbines allows a static pressure difference to develop in the channel and entrains a greater flow rate through the rotor swept area. Exploiting the potential improvement in turbine performance requires that turbines either be operated at higher tip speed ratios or that turbines are redesigned in order to increase thrust. Recent studies have demonstrated that multi-scale flow dynamics, in which a distinction is made between device-scale and fence-scale flow events, have an important role in the physics of flow past tidal turbine fences partially spanning larger channels. Although the reduction in flow rate through the fence as the turbine thrust level increases has been previously demonstrated, the within-fence variation in turbine performance, and the consequences for overall farm performance, is less well understood. The impact of turbine design and operating conditions, on the performance of a multi-rotor tidal fence is investigated using Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes embedded blade element actuator disk simulations. Fences consisting of four, six, and eight turbines are simulated, and it is demonstrated that the combination of device-and fence-scale flow effects gives rise to cross-fence thrust and power variation. These cross-fence variations are also a function of turbine thrust, and hence design conditions,although it is shown simple turbine control strategies can be adopted in order to reduce the cross-fence variations and improve overall fence performance. As the number of turbines in the fence, and hence fence length, increases, it is shown that the turbines may be designed or operated to achieve higher thrust levels than if the turbines were not deployed in a fence configuration.展开更多
基金Supported by the Chinese Marine Renewable Energy Special Fund(Nos.GHME2012ZC05,GHME2013GC03,GHME2013ZC01,GHME2014ZC01)
文摘Using an improved FVCOM numerical model, combined with the momentum-sinking scheme based on the structural characteristics of specific turbines, this study analyzed the temporal and spatial distributions of tidal energy resources before and after the deployment of tidal turbines near Pingtan Island, China. Considering factors such as the distribution of tidal stream energy, bathymetry, topography, and the design parameters of the turbines, an appropriate location for a demonstration tidal turbine was selected and the corresponding energy resource was evaluated. Several sites with strong tidal streams were considered： south of the northern cape, east of the southem cape, and the southern end of Haitan Bay. The former was thought most suitable for the deployment of a tidal energy turbine, with projected power generation for approximately 470 h per month. The average power of this demonstration was about 2.4 kW, and the annual electricity output was approximately 17.47 MWh. The intervention of the turbine device had little influence on the near-field tidal stream or water level. The tidal stream was reduced slightly in the area south of the northern cape, although the effect weakened further from the turbine. Conversely, the velocity increased slightly on both sides of the demonstration site. The difference in current speed with and without the turbine was greater at slack tide than still tide. The influence of turbine operation on water level was minor. The method adopted in this study can be considered a reference for the selection of sites for the demonstration of tidal stream energy. However, the method is unable describe the dynamic characteristics of the turbulent flow surrounding the deployed turbines, which has an important role regarding the optimal designs of the turbine blade and pile foundations. Therefore, we will continue to work to improve this model in future research.
基金the support from NSFC grants(Nos.51425901,51479053)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central University,China(No.2014 B05114)+1 种基金the Marine Renewable Energy Research Project of State Oceanic Administration(No.GHME2015GC01)the 111 project(No.B12032)
文摘In recent decades,great efforts have been made to efficiently explore tidal stream energy due to its unique advantages of easy prediction and great potential.China recently launched a national tidal stream farm demonstration project in the waterway between Putuoshan and Hulu Islands in the Zhoushan area.Before deployment of the turbine array,it is necessary to understand the hydrodynamic changes associated with the construction of a turbine array.In this study,we developed a depth-averaged hydrodynamics model that solves the shallow water governing equations to simulate the tidal hydrodynamics around the Zhoushan Archipelago.The simulation results agree with field data in terms of the water elevation and stream velocity.We considered two types of turbine arrays in this study and investigated their impacts on the local hydrodynamics.In general,the stream velocity in the northern and southern areas is reduced due to the power take-off of the turbine array,whereas stream velocity in the western and eastern areas is slightly increased due to the blockage impact of the turbine array.
文摘The authors have invented a unique counter-rotating type tidal stream power unit, which is composed of tandem propellers and a double rotational armature type generator without a stator. The front and the rear propellers drive, as for an upstream type, the inner and the outer rotational armatures in the counter-rotating directions respectively, which keep the rotational torques counter-balanced between both propellers and armatures. This paper investigates experimentally the output and forces acting on a pile in a water channel, to get design materials of the mono-pile type tidal stream power unit. The output is maximal at the moderate rotational speed, as the same as a wind turbine. The force acting on the pile is affected by the drag, the Karman vortex and the dynamic balances of the tandem propellers, and has dominant frequencies due to not only the individual but also the interacting rotation of the front and the rear propellers.
文摘Nowadays,concerns arise because of the depletion of fossil fuel resources that forced scientists to develop new energy extraction methods.One of these renewable resources is tidal energy,where Iran has this potential significantly.There are many ways to obtain the kinetic energy of the fluid flow caused by the moon’s gravitational effect on seas.Using horizontal axis tidal turbines is one of the ways to achieve the kinetic energy of the fluid.Since this type of turbine has similar technology to horizontal axis wind turbines,they may be an appropriate choice for constructing a tidal power plant in Iran.This paper presents the numerical simulation and momentum method of a three-bladed horizontal axis tidal turbine.To validate the thrust and power coefficients for a fixed pitch angle at the blade tip speed ratio of 4 to 10 are compared with experimental results.In this modelling,the rotating geometry simulation has been used.Results show that using a numerical method and blade element momentum,we can predict the horizontal axis tidal turbine’s thrust with an error of less than 10%.The numerical method has better accuracy in higher speed ratios,and it is appropriate to predict the behaviour of fluid in collision with turbines and its wake effects.
文摘The authors have proposed that a counter-rotating type tidal stream power unit mounted rigidly on a pile, and outputs of the power unit and forces acting on the pile were investigated experimentally at a previous paper, A single propeller makes the pile undertake a reaction force orthogonal to the stream direction. On the contrary, proposed counter-rotating propellers do not require undertaking the reaction force of the pile, because the rotational torque is counter-balanced in the unit. This advantage means that the unit can be moored by only one cable. Continuously, this paper proposes such a power unit with tandem propellers, and experimentally investigates a behavior of the unit floating in a water channel. The vibrations of the power unit are induced from not only the individual but also the interacting rotations of the front and the rear propellers.
文摘It is important to understand the relationship between the ambient ebb and flood currents and the electricity generated by tidal stream power generators to minimise investment risk and to optimise power generation for distribution purposes. Such analyses no longer rely on average descriptions of the flow field or on single values for the device efficiency. In the present paper, we demonstrate a new method involving the integration of synthesised long termflow vectors with logistic descriptions of the device power curves. New experiments are then described with the Neptune Proteus vertical axis tidal stream power generator involving tow tests at speeds to 1.5 ms–1 in William Wright Dock on the Humber. The results are used to derive appropriate coefficients in the logisticcurve and to estimate the device’s annual electrical output.
文摘Tidal stream power units with horizontal-axis propellers are one of promising technologies for generating the renewable green energy. The ebb and flow require that the power unit must operate in bidirectional tidal streams. Hence a tidal stream power unit with counter-rotating type horizontal-axis bidirectional propellers is proposed in this paper. The blades with fully-symmetrical hydrofoils were optimized numerically. The output and flow conditions predicted by the computational fluid dynamics simulations are compared with the results of the wind tunnel experiments at the higher tip speed ratios, which are of expected usual operating conditions of this unit. The numerical and experimental results show good agreements. It is also confirmed that the flow discharged from the counter-rotating type propellers has no swirling component, though the single propeller generates the unacceptable swirling component.
文摘Ocean energy has a potential of providing a large amount of renewable energy around the world. One of the forms of ocean energy, tidal stream power is widely recognized as the continuous, predictable and eco-friendly ocean energy source. Unique tandem propellers that can counter-rotate have been designed to generate electric power effectively from a tidal stream. This type of power unit has several advantages compare to the conventional unit with a single propeller. At the design of the tidal stream power unit, it is important to investigate the structure of the tip vortex tubes shedding to predict the load of the propeller. In this research, we investigated the tip vortex shedding using the CFD method for the conventional single propeller and counter-rotating type tandem propellers and estimated the performance efficiency using RANS (Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes) model and we confirmed the limitation of RANS model on the calculation of the tip vortex stretching.
文摘The authors have invented the unique counter-rotating type tidal stream power unit composed of the tandem pro- peUers and the double rotational armature type peculiar generator without the traditional stator. The front and the rear propellers counter-drive the inner and the outer armatures of the peculiar generator, respectively. The unit has the fixftful advantages that not only the output is sufficiently higher without supplementary equipment such as a gearbox, but also the rotational moment hardly act on the pillar because the rotational torque of both propel- lers/armatures are counter-balanced in the unit. This paper discusses experimentally the performances of the power unit and the effects of the propeller rotation on the sea surface. The axial force acting on the pillar in- creases naturally with the increase of not only the stream velocity but also the drag of the tandem propellers. Be- sides, the force vertical to the stream also acts on the pillar, which is induced from the Karman vortex street and the dominant frequencies appear owing to the front and the rear propeller rotations. The propeller rotating in close to the sea surface brings the abnormal wave and the amplitude increases as the stream velocity is faster and/or the drag is stronger.
基金cosponsored by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization in JapanResearch Project: Grant-in-aid for Science Research C in Japan (2012-2014)
文摘In the past decade, the tidal energies have caused worldwide concern as it can provide regular and predictable re- newable energy resource for power generation. The majority of technologies for exploiting the tidal stream energy are based on the concept of the horizontal axis propellers, which can be derived from the design and operation of wind turbines. However, there are some peculiar features such as the propeller working in the seawater with free surface and the possible occurrence of cavitation as compared with wind turbines. Especially, for a coun- ter-rotating type tidal stream power turbine, it is difficult to accurately predict the interaction between the front and rear blades at the design stage by blade element momentum theory. As a result, CFD shows its advantage to predict the performance of counter-rotating type propellers of the tidal stream turbi^le. In order to improve the accuracy of CFD predictions, the predicted results must be verified with experimental values. In this paper, a CFD model using block-structured grid was set up and experimental test was performed in a water tunnel for a tidal stream turbine with counter-rotating type propellers. The comparison between CFD predictions and experimental data shows quite good agreement on the power coefficients, which provides an evidence of validation of the CFD model. Such results offer the necessary confidence in the accuracy of the set up CFD model for the coun- ter-rotating type tidal stream turbine.
基金Project supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(Grant No.2023YFB4204102)the National Outstanding Youth Science Fund Project(Grant No.52122109)+1 种基金the Key Project of NSFC-Shandong Joint Research Funding POW3C(Grant No.U1906230)the Project Funded by China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(Grant No.2023M730930).
文摘Marine turbines have been extensively utilized to harness tidal stream energy from free-flowing tides and currents. However, the assessment of the influences of these marine structures on the surrounding environment is still in its early stage. In this study, a numerical model that couples hydrodynamics and sediment transport is developed to simulate the scour processes around a monopile-supported horizontal axial tidal stream turbine under steady currents. The flow characteristics are calculated by solving the 3-D Navier-Stokes equations with the k -ω shear stress transport (SST) turbulence model for closure. The simulation of sediment bed elevation is achieved by solving the Exner equation. The turbine rotor is parameterized using the actuator line method. The developed model is validated against wake velocity and scour depth measurement obtained from previous literature, showing a good agreement. Subsequently, the effects of tip clearance on the flow characteristics around the turbine model on a rigid flatbed are examined. Finally, the scour processes of the turbine model are presented, along with the vortex system within the scour hole. The numerical model proposed in this study has the potential to contribute to the understanding of the scour mechanism of the tidal stream turbines.
基金Project supported by the National High-Technology Research and Development Program of China(863 Program,Grant No.2012AA052602)
文摘Tidal stream energy is a type of marine renewable energy which is close to commercial-scale production. Tidal stream turbine arrays are considered as the one of the most promising exploitation methods. However, compared to the relatively mature technology of single turbine design and installation, the current knowledge on the hydrodynamic processes of tidal stream turbine arrays is still limited. Coastal models with simplified turbine representations based on the shallow water equation are among the most favorable methods for studying the tidal stream energy extraction processes in realistic sites. This paper presents a review of the progress and challenges in assessing the tidal stream energy.
文摘Constructive interference between tidal stream turbines in multi-rotor fence configurations arrayed normally to the flow has been shown analytically, computationally, and experimentally to enhance turbine performance. The increased resistance to bypass flow due to the presence of neighbouring turbines allows a static pressure difference to develop in the channel and entrains a greater flow rate through the rotor swept area. Exploiting the potential improvement in turbine performance requires that turbines either be operated at higher tip speed ratios or that turbines are redesigned in order to increase thrust. Recent studies have demonstrated that multi-scale flow dynamics, in which a distinction is made between device-scale and fence-scale flow events, have an important role in the physics of flow past tidal turbine fences partially spanning larger channels. Although the reduction in flow rate through the fence as the turbine thrust level increases has been previously demonstrated, the within-fence variation in turbine performance, and the consequences for overall farm performance, is less well understood. The impact of turbine design and operating conditions, on the performance of a multi-rotor tidal fence is investigated using Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes embedded blade element actuator disk simulations. Fences consisting of four, six, and eight turbines are simulated, and it is demonstrated that the combination of device-and fence-scale flow effects gives rise to cross-fence thrust and power variation. These cross-fence variations are also a function of turbine thrust, and hence design conditions,although it is shown simple turbine control strategies can be adopted in order to reduce the cross-fence variations and improve overall fence performance. As the number of turbines in the fence, and hence fence length, increases, it is shown that the turbines may be designed or operated to achieve higher thrust levels than if the turbines were not deployed in a fence configuration.
