Hydrokinetic Energy Harvesting Potential of Triangular Prims and Cross Cylinders

The current study focuses on hydrokinetic energy harvesting by means of vortex-induced autorotation. The vortex-induced turbines rely on the vibrations generated by vortex-shedding trails downstream. Three distinct bladeless rotor designs are evaluated for their performance in terms of energy generation. Here, the power generation of two triangular prisms featured with straight sides and curved sides and a Cross Cylinder turbine model are compared. The triangular designs are selected in this study due to its known autorotation characteristics. The turbine models are printed using PLA, and each turbine is tested in an open water flume for flow speeds ranging from 30 cm/s to 60 cm/s. For each speed, the turbine model is tested under four different conditions: free flow, tandem, and flow with close and far upstream partial obstacles. Results indicate that power generation and maximum possible power, generally, are increasing with the flow speed. The power production of turbines exposed to free flow can be increased by 200% when the partial blockages are applied. The triangular turbine design with curved sides shows better performance compared to one with straight sides and the Cross Cylinder model.