Unavoidable tip clearance between blade tip and casing shroud plays an important role in the performance and characteristics of a tidal propeller turbine. In this work, the tip-leakage vortex (TLV) induced in the end-wall region was numerically illustrated by using the shear-stress transport (SST) k–ω turbulence model at various flow conditions and different tip-clearance sizes (TCSs). The swirling strength criterion was employed to visualize the tip-leakage vortex trajectory and investigate vortex evolution according to clearance size change. Although TLV occurs in both design and off-design conditions, vortex intensity develops strongly under excess flow rate with increased tip gap. The extreme influence of TCS on the turbine’s generated power and efficiency was predicted in steady simulations for four TCS cases, namely, δ = 0%, 0.25%, 0.5%, and 0.75%. With the extension of the tip gap, turbine performance was drastically reduced because of vigorous turbulent leakage flow combined with considerable volumetric loss. The effect of TCS on pressure fluctuation intensity were also explored on the basis of the transient simulation statistic. Maximal pressure variation amplitude and dominant frequency were presented in spectrum analysis utilizing fast Fourier transform.

Counter-rotating turbines, designed to enhance the performance efficiency of tidal turbines, exhibit variable operational characteristics depending on the axial distance between the front and rear blades. This study encompassed both numerical analyses and performance experiments to establish the optimal design by examining the relationship between flow field alterations and the performance of a counter-rotating tidal turbine with varied axial distances. The blades of the counter-rotating tidal turbine, based on a 10-kW single turbine, were designed utilizing the Blade Element Momentum technique. The turbine blades were assessed for changes in output performance attributed to flow separation by analyzing the velocity distribution and separation points within the flow, demonstrating a maximum power coefficient of 40.3% at a design Tip Speed Ratio of 3. At y/D = 0.3. The counter-rotating tidal turbine achieved a maximum power coefficient of 47%, with performance enhancements of the rear blades driven by the accelerated wake of the front blades. Furthermore, the pressure coefficients of the blades, influenced by their shape, inflow velocity, and angle, were detailed separately for the suction and pressure sides. The study also explored the correlation between the flow characteristics and the output performance of each blade by analyzing the distribution of pressure coefficients.

This study presents an approach of tidal farming optimization using a numerical modelling method to simulate tidal energy extraction for 1MW scale tidal stream devices around Jangjuk-sudo, South Korea. The utility of the approach in this research is demonstrated by optimizing the tidal farm in an idealized scenario and a more realistic case with three scenarios of 28-turbine centered tidal array (named A, B and C layouts) inside the Jangjuk-sudo. In addition, the numerical method also provides a pre-processing calculation helps the researchers to quickly determine where the best resource site is located when considering the position of the tidal stream turbine farm. From the simulation results, it is clearly seen that the net energy (or wake energy yield which includes the impacts of wake effects on power generation) extracted from the layout A is virtually equal to the estimates of speed-up energy yield (or the gross energy which is the sum of energy yield of each turbine without wake effects), up to 30.3 GWh/year.

The performance of the turbocharger nozzle ring is a key factor in the overall operation of the main engine of the ship. Minimizing failure and damage caused by high exhaust gas temperature and pressure is essential. As a first step toward improving turbocharger safety, this study performed 3D scanning of an aged nozzle ring to obtain its precise geometry and developed a corresponding numerical model. The boundary conditions of the numerical model were defined by the exhaust gas temperature and pressure at various engine output loads. Structural safety was assessed using static structural and stress-life fatigue analyses. A sharp increase in maximum equivalent stress and strain was observed at output loads of 85% and higher. At 25% load, the maximum fatigue life indicated $1.76{ \times 10}^8$ cycles, while at 100% load, the maximum damage index reached 1. A field performance test conducted at 85% of the main engine’s output load revealed severe damage under high-load conditions. Specifically, damage occurred at the contact area between the outer hoop and the tip of the blade’s trailing edge. This observed damage pattern closely aligned with the results predicted by the fatigue life analysis. The validity of the present study was confirmed through a comparative analysis of the fatigue life predictions and the field test results.