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Parametric Study of a Fully Passive Oscillating Foil on a Swinging Arm

Author

Listed:
  • Dominic Cloutier

    (CFD Laboratory LMFN, Département de Génie Mécanique, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada)

  • Mathieu Olivier

    (CFD Laboratory LMFN, Département de Génie Mécanique, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada)

  • Guy Dumas

    (CFD Laboratory LMFN, Département de Génie Mécanique, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada)

Abstract

A NACA 0015 airfoil is connected to a swinging arm by springs and dampers and is let loose in an incompressible and viscous flow at a Reynolds number of 3.9 × 10 6 . The foil operates in a power-extracting regime and is free to pitch about a pivot that is itself swinging on a circular path; this contraption is called a fully passive oscillating-foil turbine on a swinging arm. This study explores the potential of four different foil configurations: with the swinging arm being either upstream or downstream of its pivot, and with or without the use of gears to control the equilibrium position of the foil with respect to the flow. The results show that the swinging arm concept offers similar performances, i.e., efficiency and power coefficient, as the railed turbine. Indeed, with arm lengths from 3 to 10 chords, efficiency values near 55 % and power coefficients reaching 1.57 are obtained. Both the railed and the swinging arm turbines can operate under either a stall-flutter or a coupled-flutter instability. However, it is found that the geared models are the only ones suited when the driving mechanism is the coupled-flutter instability while both geared and gearless configurations are effective under the stall-flutter instability.

Suggested Citation

  • Dominic Cloutier & Mathieu Olivier & Guy Dumas, 2025. "Parametric Study of a Fully Passive Oscillating Foil on a Swinging Arm," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(5), pages 1-29, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:18:y:2025:i:5:p:1277-:d:1605948
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Duarte, Leandro & Dellinger, Nicolas & Dellinger, Guilhem & Ghenaim, Abdellah & Terfous, Abdelali, 2021. "Experimental optimisation of the pitching structural parameters of a fully passive flapping foil turbine," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 171(C), pages 1436-1444.
    2. Liu, Zhen & Qu, Hengliang & Shi, Hongda, 2020. "Energy-harvesting performance of a coupled-pitching hydrofoil under the semi-passive mode," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 267(C).
    3. Sitorus, Patar Ebenezer & Ko, Jin Hwan, 2019. "Power extraction performance of three types of flapping hydrofoils at a Reynolds number of 1.7E6," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 106-118.
    4. Karbasian, H.R. & Esfahani, J.A. & Barati, E., 2016. "The power extraction by flapping foil hydrokinetic turbine in swing arm mode," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 130-142.
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