Utilização de rotores toroidais para captação de energia maremotriz

Abstract

Currently, tidal energy is recognized as a promising source of renewable energy, based on capturing the kinetic energy associated with tidal movements for electricity generation. Although it exhibits characteristics of being a clean and predictable source, the exploration of this energy modality faces technological and economic challenges that demand innovative solutions for its full development. In this context, toroidal rotors emerge as a viable alternative for efficiently capturing tidal energy. Toroidal rotors are rotating systems consisting of two conventional blades connected at the ends, providing notable advantages, such as reducing drag caused by the formation of vortices at the blade tips. The developed methodology involves the construction and testing of comum tidal turbines with different numbers of blades using the Qblade software, utilizing NACA 6409 airfoil as a base. Simulation results in determining the optimal number of blades for the tidal turbine and the construction parameters of the toroidal rotor. To generate the geometry of the proposed design, a MATLAB code is employed, where the simulation results are used to create and export the toroidal blade to CAD software. In the subsequent stage, both straight and toroidal blade turbines are comparatively tested in a CFD simulation, resulting in the determination of the torque required to operate the turbines at a flow velocity of 2 m/s and 103 RPM. Results indicate that the toroidal-blade turbine requires 13% less torque than the straight-bladed turbine to operate under the same conditions. This developed approach allows for the proper fabrication of the toroidal rotor, ensuring that the geometry is precisely adapted to the design requirements for tidal turbines.