RT journal article
T1 Numerical study of a fish swimming in hydrokinetic turbine wake
A1 Machuca Macías, Marianela
A1 Castilho Faria Mendes, Rafael
A1 García Ortiz, José Hermenegildo
A1 Felamingo Oliveira, Taygoara
A1 Brasil Junior, Antonio C.P
A2 Ingeniería Mecánica y Diseño Industrial
K1 Hydrokinetic turbines
K1 Environmental impacts
K1 Actuator line method
K1 Fish swimming
K1 Fish propulsion
K1 Tip blade vortex
AB The environmental effects of hydrokinetic turbines are still under investigation, reflecting the emergingstatus of this technology. This study investigates the interaction between hydrokinetic rotor wakes andfish swimming, revealing insights into fish biomechanics in complex flows and assessing the environmental implications of marine energy solutions. We conducted numerical simulations with the URANSapproach and k − ω − SST turbulence closure model to predict three-dimensional turbulent flow in theOpenFOAM software. The hydrokinetic rotor wake was simulated employing the actuator line method,providing a computationally efficient alternative to full geometry simulations. For accurate replication ofthe motion of a fish-like tuna (Thunnus atlanticus), dynamic adaptive mesh discretization was employed.The results offer a comparative analysis of fish swimming performance within the wake rotor, particularlywhen immersed in the tip blade vortex, contrasted with scenarios where fish swim in undisturbed flowconditions. The analysis encompasses three-dimensional wake structures, force generation, efficiency, andequilibrium states (balancing drag and thrust) across varying Swimming numbers (Sw). Key findings include the enhanced attachment of the leading-edge vortex due to the caudal fin’s interaction with thetip blade vortex, resulting in improved auto-propulsive force production; a reduced tail stride frequencyobserved in fish swimming downstream of the rotor to achieve longitudinal force balance compared tounperturbed flow; and transverse hydrodynamic forces pushing fish radially away from the wake’s influence zone, potentially mitigating the risk of collision with turbine blades.
PB Shanghai Jiaotong University
SN 2468-0133
YR 2024
FD 2024
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/33665
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/33665
LA eng
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz
RD 07-nov-2026