Influence of fish scale bionic structure on energy performance of a tidal current turbine

Abstract

The hydrodynamic performance of the tidal current turbine impeller is crucial for converting energy into electricity as it is considered the core component of the tidal current energy capture device. The morphology of fish epidermis is firstly analyzed in this paper based on the invention ideas of the unique structure of animal skin. Its biological characteristics are extracted, and basic characteristic coupling elements are obtained. The bionic structure design technique was utilized to establish a hydraulic system for surface-changeable tidal current turbine blades that will improve the effectiveness of energy capture for entire tip speed ratio conditions. The bionic structure's impact on the energy characteristics of the tidal current turbine was compared through the completion of the three-dimensional turbulent flow calculation using numerical simulation methods. By analyzing the distribution of shear stress on the blade surface, the velocity and pressure field near the blade surface, the mechanism was revealed that the bionic structure improves energy capture efficiency at low tip speed ratio conditions.