Method for calculating performance characteristics of hydrokinetic turbines

This paper presents a numerical algorithm and its computer implementation (program) developed to determine the operational characteristics of axial flow hydrokinetic turbines. The program is based on the Vortex-Lattice Method (VLM), which proved useful for predicting hydrodynamic characteristics of screw propellers. In order to validate the software, we carried out a series of experiments on a laboratory test stand at the Institute of Fluid-Flow Machinery at the Polish Academy of Sciences (IMP PAN) in Gdansk. From the practical point of view, the agreement between the calculated and experimental results was satisfactory. Therefore, the developed numerical method can be a useful tool for the analysis of operating conditions and in the design of hydrokinetic turbines.