Large-eddy simulation of a Vertical Axis Tidal Turbine using an Immersed Boundary Method

Vertical Axis Tidal Turbines (VATTs) are an innovative way of harnessing renewable energy from tidal streams. Herein a novel numerical approach using a refined Large Eddy Simulation (LES) code to simulate the performance of a VATT is presented. The turbine blades are modelled with Lagrangian markers using the Immersed Boundary Method which offers several advantages especially concerning computational effort. Comparisons of the LES results with experimental and numerical data suggest reasonably good accuracy of the code. In addition, the stability of the method for high Reynolds number flows is also discussed