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Representation of Tidal Turbine Support Structures in a Regional-Scale 3D Hydrodynamic Model and Their Effects on Wake Prediction.

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Title: Representation of Tidal Turbine Support Structures in a Regional-Scale 3D Hydrodynamic Model and Their Effects on Wake Prediction.
Authors: Lam, Raymond1 (AUTHOR) raymond.lam@ed.ac.uk, Spence, Nairn1 (AUTHOR), Tan, Tian1 (AUTHOR), Old, Chris1 (AUTHOR), Sellar, Brian1 (AUTHOR)
Source: Energies (19961073). Jun2026, Vol. 19 Issue 11, p2712. 31p.
Subject Terms: *Structural components, *Wakes (Fluid dynamics), *Sediment transport, *Flow velocity, *Tidal power, *Hydrodynamics
Abstract: Tidal turbine wake predictions in regional-scale hydrodynamic models typically account for rotor thrust but neglect the drag of support structures. This study introduces a method for representing turbine support structures as permeable drag volumes within TELEMAC-3D and evaluates their influence on wake characteristics. The method is demonstrated for the 1 MW DeepGen-IV turbine deployed at the Fall of Warness test site at the European Marine Energy Centre, Scotland. The tripod foundation, tower, and nacelle are each implemented as momentum source terms alongside an actuator disc rotor in a regional-scale model with mesh resolution down to 1.5 m with 24 sigma layers and output at 60 s intervals (1 s at instrument locations), validated against seabed-mounted ADCP measurements. Including the support structures improves the agreement with measured wake profiles by 6–18% in root-mean-square error at 3.7 rotor diameters downstream and extends the hub-height 5% velocity deficit distance by an average of three rotor diameters (~54 m), with substantial variability across tidal conditions. The tripod and tower drag also extend the velocity deficit into the lower water column, a feature absent from the rotor-only formulation, with potential relevance to near-bed processes such as bed shear stress and sediment transport which are not examined in the present study. The implementation is in principle extendable to other support concepts and multi-device studies, and the results indicate that support structure drag should be considered in regional wake models where wake persistence and downstream interactions are important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Database: Energy & Power Source
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Header DbId: enr
DbLabel: Energy & Power Source
An: 194588100
AccessLevel: 6
PubType: Academic Journal
PubTypeId: academicJournal
PreciseRelevancyScore: 0
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  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: Representation of Tidal Turbine Support Structures in a Regional-Scale 3D Hydrodynamic Model and Their Effects on Wake Prediction.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Lam%2C+Raymond%22">Lam, Raymond</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> raymond.lam@ed.ac.uk</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Spence%2C+Nairn%22">Spence, Nairn</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Tan%2C+Tian%22">Tan, Tian</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Old%2C+Chris%22">Old, Chris</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Sellar%2C+Brian%22">Sellar, Brian</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Energies+%2819961073%29%22">Energies (19961073)</searchLink>. Jun2026, Vol. 19 Issue 11, p2712. 31p.
– Name: Subject
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  Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Structural+components%22">Structural components</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Wakes+%28Fluid+dynamics%29%22">Wakes (Fluid dynamics)</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sediment+transport%22">Sediment transport</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Flow+velocity%22">Flow velocity</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Tidal+power%22">Tidal power</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Hydrodynamics%22">Hydrodynamics</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Tidal turbine wake predictions in regional-scale hydrodynamic models typically account for rotor thrust but neglect the drag of support structures. This study introduces a method for representing turbine support structures as permeable drag volumes within TELEMAC-3D and evaluates their influence on wake characteristics. The method is demonstrated for the 1 MW DeepGen-IV turbine deployed at the Fall of Warness test site at the European Marine Energy Centre, Scotland. The tripod foundation, tower, and nacelle are each implemented as momentum source terms alongside an actuator disc rotor in a regional-scale model with mesh resolution down to 1.5 m with 24 sigma layers and output at 60 s intervals (1 s at instrument locations), validated against seabed-mounted ADCP measurements. Including the support structures improves the agreement with measured wake profiles by 6–18% in root-mean-square error at 3.7 rotor diameters downstream and extends the hub-height 5% velocity deficit distance by an average of three rotor diameters (~54 m), with substantial variability across tidal conditions. The tripod and tower drag also extend the velocity deficit into the lower water column, a feature absent from the rotor-only formulation, with potential relevance to near-bed processes such as bed shear stress and sediment transport which are not examined in the present study. The implementation is in principle extendable to other support concepts and multi-device studies, and the results indicate that support structure drag should be considered in regional wake models where wake persistence and downstream interactions are important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=enr&AN=194588100
RecordInfo BibRecord:
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    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.3390/en19112712
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 31
        StartPage: 2712
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Structural components
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Wakes (Fluid dynamics)
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Sediment transport
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Flow velocity
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Tidal power
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Hydrodynamics
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Representation of Tidal Turbine Support Structures in a Regional-Scale 3D Hydrodynamic Model and Their Effects on Wake Prediction.
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            NameFull: Lam, Raymond
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            NameFull: Spence, Nairn
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            NameFull: Tan, Tian
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            NameFull: Old, Chris
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            NameFull: Sellar, Brian
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            – D: 01
              M: 06
              Text: Jun2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
          Identifiers:
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              Value: 19961073
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              Value: 19
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              Value: 11
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            – TitleFull: Energies (19961073)
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