I'm working with a small startup who is developing a tidal turbine prototype and would like to develop in-house tools for doing tidal turbine array layout optimization, energy yield prediction, and environmental assessment.
I would like to assess various coastal oceanographic codes for their suitability for incorporating models for tidal turbines. I'm interested in learning about how easy various codes are to learn/use/modify. Also interested in computational efficiency and accuracy.
For context, I believe that the coastal model would be used to do depth-averaged simulations. Then 3D simulations could be done by a separate CFD model, to capture wake interaction effects. I don't think coastal models will resolve turbine wakes very well, which necessitates a combined approach with full 3D CFD.
I would greatly appreciate any input. Thanks!
Hi Mike,
I believe FVCOM is an academic only code, meaning that the license does not allow for commercial use. You know that I mostly use RiCOM. I have not used the other codes you suggest. Another code you might consider is TELEMAC. It is free and open source and has a good support community. It is used often in consulting world. NRCan has a free software called "BlueKenue" for pre and post processing of TELEMAC models.
Deft3D also seems to have a good support community, but I have little experience with that software.
I'd be happy to chat more. Drop me a line next time you are in town.
Clayton
I'm using MIKE 21 since 2010. As of my experience we can't get the codes of MIKE 21. The details of science we can get from Scientific Manual providing along with software. MIKE 21 is a commercial software developed by DHI denmark
Hi Michael,
I have been working with tidal turbines array layout optimization since my PhD. Hydrodynamic circulation models like Mike, Delft3D, Telemac, etc. are useful to study resource assesment (without turbines) and environmental impacts (in regions distant from the arrays) but not for detailed local environmental impacts, array layout optimization or accurate energy yield prediction. This is mainly due to the hydrostatic approximation that discards vertical accelerations that play an important role in wake recovery. Another aspect is that if you want to solve more accurately turbine wakes you need to icrease dramtically the resolution of yor model, which is not feasible when modelling large scale domains like bays, estuaries, etc...
For array layout optimization and energy yield prediction I use Ansys Fluent. I model each turbine as an actuator disk.
Depending on your objectives, you may couple a hydrodynamic circulation model with a CFD.
I invite you to check some of my publications that may help you get some new ideas.
Anything else let me know.
Good luck!
I would suggest looking into the SNL EFDC code. Sandia National Lab (SNL) modified the EPA's EFDC code for hydrokinetic energy resource assessment and for incorporating simulated hydrokinetic turbines via enhanced bottom friction (not familiar with the details). I believe Sandia is in the process of migrating to Delft3D so support for SNL EFDC will be limited but the learning curve for the SNL-EFDC code is not as steep compared to ROMS or other open source/research oriented models.
EFDC is also a popular open source code in Asia and North America. My colleague Kester Scandrett helped provide training for the researchers who performed this study in 2015 on the Malacca Strait.
Working Paper Hydrodynamic modeling of Malacca Strait using EFDC
The group I work with actively maintains a version of the EFDC code known as EFDC+ (https://www.eemodelingsystem.com/) which contains a variety of features useful in coastal modeling including linkages to popular wind-wave models like SWAN, morphologically linked sediment transport, and power generation with marine hydro-kinetic devices. EFDC+ also has great advantages in terms of runtime, as it has a hybrid MPI-OMP implementation which gives you great flexibility in terms of the computer systems you can run your model on (single computers or large clusters).
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