Accepted Manuscript Not Copyedited: The Effect of Mid-Plane Guide Vanes in A Biplane Wells Turbine

Journal of Fluids Engineering.
Received May 08, 2018;

Accepted manuscript posted September 28, 2018. doi:10.1115/1.4041600
Copyright (c) 2018 by ASME
Journal of Fluids Engineering
The Effect of Mid-Plane Guide Vanes in a

Biplane Wells Turbine
Tapas K. Das, first author
Wave Energy and Fluids Engineering Lab (WEFEL), IIT Madras
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Ocean Engineering Dept., IIT Madras, Chennai-600036, India
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mech.tapas@gmail.com
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Abdus Samad, second author1
Wave Energy and Fluids Engineering Lab (WEFEL), IIT Madras
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Ocean Engineering Dept., IIT Madras, Chennai-600036, India
samad@iitm.ac.in
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ABSTRACT
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Guide vanes improve the performance of a turbine in terms of efficiency, torque or operating range. In this
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work, a concept of different orientations of guide vanes in between a two-row biplane Wells turbine was
introduced and analyzed for the performance improvement. The fluid flow was simulated numerically with
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a commercial software Ansys CFX 16.1. The Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations with the k-ω
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turbulence closure model were solved for different designs and flow conditions. For the base model, the
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results from simulation and experiments are in close agreement. Among the designs considered, the
configuration, where, the blades are in one line (zero circumferential angle between blades of two plane)
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and the mid-plane guide vane has concave side to the leading edge of the blade, performed relatively better.
However, the performance was still less compared to the base model. The reason behind the reduction in
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performance from the base model is attributed to the blockage of flow and the change of flow path occurring
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due to the presence of the mid-plane guide vanes. The flow analysis of different cases and comparison with
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the base model is presented in the current study.
Keywords: Well turbine, biplane, guide vane, OWC, CFD
1
Associate Professor, Ocean Engineering Dept., IIT Madras
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Journal of Fluids Engineering. Received May 08, 2018;
INTRODUCTION
Oscillating Water Column (OWC) has been a popular and extensively studied
device for wave energy extraction resulting in large numbers of the prototype developed
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to date. [1]. The device works with the help of pressure difference created inside the
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chamber by the ocean waves. A turbine is used to convert the pressure energy into kinetic
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energy, which is then used by a generator to produce electricity. Both impulse and
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reaction turbines have been used in OWC. The Wells turbine is one type of reaction
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turbine that has been used widely in OWC. For the same geometric parameters and
similar operating conditions, the Wells turbine has a higher efficiency[2] and requires less
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maintenance to operate[3] compared to impulse turbines in both onshore or offshore
conditions.
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Raghunathan [4] analytically studied the different parameters of Wells turbine

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and came up with limiting values of some important parameters such as solidity, hub to
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tip ratio, aspect ratio, and tip clearance. Several different blade geometries of the Wells
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turbine were tested both experimentally and numerically to improve the performance of
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the turbine. Blade sweep [5,6], blade skew [7] have shown marginal improvement in
performance from the baseline design. Variation in thickness from hub to tip increases
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the turbine performance significantly [8,9]. All such studies on blade geometry were
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carried out on monoplane turbine, and it was reported that a large quantity of kinetic
energy is lost at the downstream of the rotor blade.
To recover such kinetic energy, two methods were suggested by Raghunathan [4]:
use of guide vanes at the exit of the rotor blade or use of another set of rotor blade in a

plane downstream of the main rotor blades. It has been proved both experimentally and
numerically that use of double row of GVs results in considerable increase in efficiency
[10]. Takao et al. [11] experimentally investigated the effect of the gap between the rotor
blade and the GVs. The starting characteristics, as well as running characteristics, are
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significantly enhanced by the use of GVs. The best efficiency occurs for an optimum gap
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between the rotor blade and GVs. Halder and Samad [12] numerically studied different
GV angles and concludes that the GV angle depends on the solidity of the turbine. All the
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studies on GV mentioned above were carried out using 2D GV for which the stagger angle
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of GV remains constant throughout the length of the blade. Takao et al. [13] and
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Setoguchi et al.[14] studied the effect of 3D GV for further performance enhancement of
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Wells turbine. The experimental studies show that the 3D GV has better performance
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characteristics compared to 2D GVs.

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While use of GV is a way to recover the exit kinetic energy, adding one more rotor
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blade downstream of the main blade also helps in recovering exit kinetic energy and
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improvement of performance. A comparison of different types of Wells turbine [15]
shows that the biplane Wells turbine has better performance characteristics compared to
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other types of Wells turbines. The aerodynamics of Biplane Wells turbine has been
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studied extensively by Raghunathan [16] and the performance is predicted using inlet and
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outlet GV. The hysteresis characteristic of the monoplane Wells turbine is studied
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numerically in [17]. The origin of the hysteresis is attributed to the compressibility effect
of the OWC system. Mamun et al.[18] and Kinoue et al.[19] investigated the hysteresis of
biplane Wells turbine and compared it with monoplane Wells turbine. For a lower angle

of attack, both monoplane and biplane turbine show similar hysteresis loops. As the angle
of attack increases, the dynamic stall phenomenon is noticed and the torque as well
efficiency drops drastically. This is attributed to the flow separation near the hub and the
suction surface of the upstream blade.
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The main parameters affecting the performance of a Biplane Wells Turbine (BWT)
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are the gap-to-chord ratio, blade setting angle, solidity and the circumferential angle
between the rotor blades of two plane. Kaneko et al.[20] experimentally investigated the
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effects of these parameters on BWT and recommends the blade setting angle between 2-
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4o and gap to chord ratio 1.5. The results also show that the hysteresis characteristic is
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more sensitive to blade solidity compared to the blade setting angle and gap-to-chord
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ratio. Shaaban [21] carried out a numerical analysis of BWT, which shows that the
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downstream rotor contributes to only 10-30% of the total torque. The numerical results
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suggested improving the downstream rotor performance in future works. Arlitt et al. [22]
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introduced a concept of mid-plane guide vane for BWT to reduce the exit kinetic energy
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loss from the downstream blade. A numerical study of BWT with a generator in between
rotating planes [23] shows the aerodynamic behavior and the flow interaction between
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rotating and stationary stages. Alves [24] carried out an experimental and numerical
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analysis of BWT with GVs in the mid-plane. The performance characteristics were
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compared with the numerical and experimental result. However, no detail flow analysis
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in the mid- plane of the turbine is provided in this work.

The purpose of the present work is to study the flow phenomenon when GVs are
placed in the mid-plane of a BWT. The interaction of the flow with the GVs is studied
numerically and the performance characteristics are compared with turbine without GV.
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GEOMETRIC CONFIGURATIONS
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Four different geometries of BWT with mid-plane GV are considered here for
analysis and compared with two reference geometries without GV. The reference
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geometries, Ref-1 and Ref-2, are shown in Fig 1. Both the turbine has four blades in each
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plane having an overall solidity of 0.64 (0.32 per plane) and has symmetric NACA0015
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blade profile. The Ref-1 has blades in a staggered way; the circumferential angle between
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the blades is 45o. The Ref-2 has blades in a straight line with no circumferential angle
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between them. The dimensions of various parts are presented in Table 1. The geometries
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are varied based on the position of GVs. Figure 2 shows the four different cases. For Case
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A and B, the rotor blades are in one line in two planes without any circumferential angle
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between them. For case C and D, the rotor blades have a circumferential angle of 45 o in
each plane. The gap between each plane is fixed at 1.5c for all the cases.
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The spacing between GVs is an important factor to consider for selecting the
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number of GVs. The spacing between the GVs defines the load acting on them and the
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frictional loss due to surface area. If there are large spacing, the load on the blade will be
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too high. For smaller spacing, the frictional loss is very high due to an increased surface
area. Hence there exists an optimum value of blade spacing which provides reasonably
good blade loading and optimum frictional loss as well. Zweifel’s blade loading criteria

(Zweifel coefficient) is based on non-dimensional force on the cascade. The Zweifel
coefficient is given by Eq. (1)
2F
z (1)
V22c
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This in terms of blade inlet and exit angles, Eq. (2)
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s
z  2 cos2   tan   tan   (2)
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c
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Zweifel [25] suggested a value of 0.8 for coefficient z for optimal blade loading and
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frictional loss. Thus Zweifel criteria can be used to determine the number of stator blades
provided other values are known or assumed properly.
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The lift interference factor, defined as the ratio of lift coefficient of a blade in
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cascade to that of an isolated blade, is very important while choosing the gap between
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blades. Weinig [26] used potential flow theory to analytically determine the lift
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interference factor for a linear cascade of infinitesimally flat blades. The interference
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factor based on Weinig’s theory for isolated aerofoil is given by Eq. (3)
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CL
K0  (3)
2 sin  
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For axial turbine with 90o stagger angle, like in the case of Wells turbine, the
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interference factor is given by Eq. (4)

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2 s  c
K0  tan   (4)
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c  2 s
This shows that the interference factor does not depend on the blade angle and
only governs by the ratio of blade pitch to blade chord. For this study, the number and
profile of the GVs are chosen based on Zweifel criterion and Weinig theory. The GVs are

placed in the mid-plane with equal distance from each blade. The GVs have a circular arc
profile with a chord length of 90 mm and camber angle 60o. The stagger angle of the GV
is kept at 0o to maintain the symmetry of the bidirectional turbine. The gap between the
blade and the GV is 48 mm.
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NUMERICAL SOLUTION APPROACH
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The main steps of any CFD analysis involve the creation of the computational
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domain, meshing the domain and finally using a turbulence model to solve the governing
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equations associated with the problem. The main challenge for creating the
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computational domain is to find the optimum size of the domain so that the
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computational cost is minimized and at the same time, the accuracy of the numerical
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simulation is not compromised. A detailed CFD analysis of monoplane Wells turbine with
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steady flow is given in [27]. The boundary conditions and use of different turbulence
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models for monoplane Wells turbine to capture incipient and deep stall condition are
discussed in detail by the authors. A similar numerical approach is used in the present
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study with biplane Wells turbine having mid-plane guide vanes. The computational
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domain and mesh of the reference blade for present study are shown in Fig. 3(a). As the
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turbine is symmetric about its rotational axis, only one-fourth of the whole turbine is
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taken as computational domain. The Ref-1 geometry is used for the validation with
available experimental results [28]. The domain consists of one blade from each plane
and is five chord length long in the upstream side and ten chord length long in the

downstream side. Figure 3(b) shows the computational domain with GVs in mid-plane.
While the rotor blades have a rotational speed, the GVs are fixed. The domain interface
between rotor blade and GV is modeled using frozen rotor approach. In frozen rotor
approach, the relative position of the components across the domain interface remains
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fixed. The flow variables are derived near the boundary of rotating domain and it is
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transferred directly to the neighboring fixed domain.
Mesh generation is a key component in the simulation environment. One of the
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main aspects of meshing is to reduce the discretization error that depends on the quality
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of the mesh generated. The computational domain in the present study was discretized
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using unstructured mesh (Fig. 3c & 3d). A fine prism layer was created around the blade
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to capture the boundary layer effect on flow. The height of the first layer from the wall of
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the rotor blade was 1.2x10-5 m. This height was chosen based on y+ <1. Total 20 layers
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were used with an exponential growth ratio of 1.2. The total height of the prism layer
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around the blade was 2.24 mm. The Reynolds number was approximately 6.5x105 and
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6.6x105 for flow coefficient 0.225 and 0.250 respectively. The important mesh parameters
calculated from CFD post (running in double precision): maximum edge length ratio 136.1,
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minimum face angle 10.72o, maximum face angle 137.57o and maximum element volume
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ratio 17.8.
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The different cases of BWT with GVs were numerically studied by solving RANS
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equations for steady incompressible flow in a coupled, finite volume based solver ANSYS
CFX v16.1, which solves the hydrodynamic equations (for u, v, w, p) as a single system[29].
High-resolution advection scheme of second-order accuracy is implemented to calculate

the advection terms in discrete finite-volume equations. The turbulence is modeled using
SST k-ω model, which is a low Reynolds number model. Here, SST equation combines the
k-ω model for near wall flow and the k-ε model for free stream flow. The advantage of
SST k- ω model over other models is its ability to capture the near wall flow as well as the
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free stream turbulence. A study [30] of different turbulence models for flow over
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symmetrical NACA airfoil shows that the SST k-ω model is the most suitable one. As the
Wells turbine rotor also consists of symmetrical NACA profiles, the SST k- ω model was
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chosen for further numerical analysis of the BWT.
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The fluid (air) in the computational domain was incompressible, and a steady flow
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was considered for analysis. The inlet had a steady velocity profile and ambient pressure
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at the outlet. The periodic boundary condition was imposed on the circumferential sides,
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and the surface of rotor blade had no-slip boundary condition. Both the rotors rotated
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with the same rotational speed of 2500 rpm, and this was fixed throughout the analysis.
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The boundary conditions applied to the computational domain are detailed in Table 2.
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The Grid Convergence Index (GCI) is calculated based on Richardson extrapolation
to calculate the discretization error due to computational grids. The detailed procedure
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of GCI calculation is provided by Roeche [31] and Celik and Karatekin [32]. The same has
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been followed here and the values are tabulated in Table 3. Three different grid systems
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(N1=10.495x106 cells, N2=4.406x106 cells, N3=2.413x106 cells) were taken for calculation
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of the torque coefficient of the reference geometry. The grid refinement factors are 1.33
and 1.22 as mentioned in Table 3. The calculated values of torque coefficient have an
21 32
oscillatory convergence. The extrapolated relative errors, 𝑒𝑒𝑥𝑡 and 𝑒𝑒𝑥𝑡 , are 0.064% and

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0.260% respectively. The GCI obtained with the finest grid, 𝐺𝐶𝐼𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑒 , is 0.076%. Whereas
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GCI obtained with the coarsest grid, 𝐺𝐶𝐼𝑐𝑜𝑎𝑟𝑠𝑒 , is 0.322%. As both the GCI is quite small,
the further calculations are carried out with the coarsest grid (N3=2.413x106 cells) to save
computational cost.
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Due to the computational requirement, the numerical simulation was done using
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Virgo super cluster having a total computational power of 97 TFlops. The Virgo
supercluster consists of IBM System x iDataPlex dx360 M4 highly optimized servers for
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high-performance computing. Using this high-performance computing system, the
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average time for each simulation were 10 ~ 12 hours.
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VELOCITY DIAGRAM:
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Most of the works reported on Wells turbine with GVs are for monoplane Wells
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turbine having GVs at the inlet and the outlet of the rotor. In case of Wells turbine with
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an inlet GV, the angle of attack near hub is greater than that of the case without GVs [13].
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The velocity diagram of a BWT with and without mid-plane GV is shown in figure 4.
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Positions before and after the rotor blade are mentioned as 0,1,2,3. The relative velocity
(W1) and incidence angle (α0) at the inlet of the upstream blade is same for both the
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turbines. Airflow leaves the upstream blade with a velocity V 1 and angle β1. If there is no
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GV in the mid-plane, the airflow hits the downstream blade with relative velocity (W1) at
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an incidence angle (α1). However, if GVs are introduced in the mid-plane, the direction
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(β2) of absolute velocity (V2) changes. As a result, the incidence angle (α2) for the relative
velocity (W2) for the downstream blade is higher than it is without GV (αw/o). So, the use
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of GV in the mid-plane makes the angle of attack higher for the downstream blade
compared to the angle of attack without the GV.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Based on the previous literature, the Wells turbine performance is expressed
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using four non-dimensional parameters:
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The torque coefficient (Eq. 5):
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T
CT  (5)
 2 rt5
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The pressure drop coefficient (Eq. 6):
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P0
P0*  (6)
 2 rt 2
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The efficiency (Eq. 7):
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T
 (7)
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P0Q
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Flow coefficient (Eq. 8):

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va
 (8)
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The torque coefficient, pressure coefficient, and efficiency are compared with
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respect to the flow coefficient. As the turbine rotational speed is fixed, the rotor tip speed
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is also fixed. The flow coefficient was varied by varying the inlet flow velocity. For all
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different cases, numerical analysis was carried out at different points starting from a low
flow coefficient (  =0.075) to a high flow coefficient (  =0.30).
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The computational result of Ref-1 is validated with the available experimental
results [28] (Figure 5). The numerical results are in close agreement with the experimental
results for  < 0.225. An average deviation of ~5% from the experimental result is
observed for pressure coefficient, torque coefficient, and efficiency for  < 0.225.
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However, at a high flow coefficient, the numerical result has a higher deviation from the
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available experimental results. This is the region of dynamic stall, where the efficiency
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falls drastically mainly because of the flow separation near the trailing edge of the blade.
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One of the reasons for this mismatch at high flow coefficient is the inability of RANS model
to solve beyond the stall region [33]. The numerical result of the present work is
substantiated by the numerical result of Shaaban [21].

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Figure 6 shows the comparison of performance for four different cases with the
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two reference geometries. The torque coefficient for the reference geometries is much
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higher compared to the geometries including GVs. However, the trend of the torque
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coefficient is same for all the geometries. For both the reference geometries and Case A
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and C, the maximum torque coefficient is observed at  = 0.25. For  = 0.225, the angle
of attack at the tip is 12.68o and for  = 0.250, it is 14.03o. Till  = 0.225, flow remains
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attached to the blade, no phenomenon of flow separation is observed. The angle of attack
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is also a function of the span of the blade, and it increases from blade tip to the hub. In
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the region of incipient stall [27], 0.225<  <0.250, the flow starts to separate from hub
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due to high angle of attack, but still remains attached near the tip. At  = 0.250, the flow
is completely detached from the blade throughout the span, and the fluid elements near
the blade can no longer proceed in forward direction. This leads to the phenomenon of
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dynamic stall at this flow coefficient, and the torque coefficient decreases drastically. For
Case B and D, the stall occurs near  = 0.225.
The pressure difference between inlet and outlet of the rotor is defined as the
pressure coefficient. The pressure coefficient varies linearly with the flow coefficient till
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the point of stall. After stall, pressure coefficient drops significantly for all the cases
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including the reference geometries. Similar to the torque coefficient, the pressure
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coefficient values are also very high for reference geometries compared to the four cases
with GVs.
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Efficiency of the rotor is a function of both torque and pressure drop across the
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rotor. As a result, although the torque and pressure drop values are less for the cases with
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GVs, the efficiency of the reference geometries and the modified geometries (including
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GVs) are in good agreement. It can be seen that for all the turbine geometries, with and
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without GV (except Case C), the efficiency is almost the same for a range of flow
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coefficients. This range of flow coefficient (0.125 to 0.250) can be defined as the optimum
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operating range for all the geometries considered here. Within this range, the rotor
efficiency does not vary much with the change of the inlet velocity. It can be inferred from
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the comparisons that the inclusion of mid-plane GVs does not improve the torque or
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pressure drop across the rotor. The reason for this can be found out by further looking at
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the flow characteristics on the rotor blades.

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Figure 7 shows the streamlines on the suction surface of the blades at flow
coefficient 0.225. It can be seen that for all four cases (Case A-D) the suction surface of
the upstream blade has similar velocity streamlines. For both the reference turbines, the
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flow on the suction surface on upstream blade follows the blade till mid-chord length and
then a reverse flow occurs resulting in flow separation near the trailing edge. For four
cases with GVs, the flow gets separated very near to the leading edge of the upstream
blade. The flow separation starts at hub and it progresses to tip. However, for the
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downstream blades, the streamlines show a different pattern. For the reference blades,
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the flow is attached with the blade suction surface up to the trailing edge. Only small
vortices can be noticed near the hub at the suction surface (Ref-2). For Case A and D, flow
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separation occurs at the downstream blade suction surface almost at the mid-chord of
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the blade. In Case B, vortices are generated near the hub of the rotor blade and it
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propagates towards the blade tip. For Case C, flow circulation occurs near the leading
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edge at blade tip region. This leads to the drop in torque and efficiency for this case (refer
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Fig.6). The inclusion of mid plane GVs affects the flow path for all the different cases. Mid
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plane GVs increase the angle of attack at downstream blade for all flow coefficient
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compared to the reference geometry. This results in the creation of vortices, early flow
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separation and drop in performance.
The effect of mid plane GVs on the rotor blades can be understood by comparing
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the velocity contours with reference geometry. Figure 8 shows the velocity contours of
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the reference blades and the four different cases at 75% blade span at flow coefficient
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0.225. For all the geometries, the flow hits the leading edge of the upstream blade with
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relative velocity. So the velocity contours around the upstream blade are almost similar
for all the cases. As the flow hits the leading edge, the stagnation point at the leading
edge of the pressure side has zero velocity. A low-pressure zone is created near the
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leading edge of the suction surface which can be seen with the high-velocity contours.
For reference geometries, as the flow passes through the upstream blades, the flow
moves without any obstruction and hits the downstream blade leading edge with relative
velocity. A similar velocity contour pattern is observed in the downstream blades,
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although the sizes of the contours are bigger compared to upstream blades. For Ref-1,
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the area of velocity contours for velocity up to 160 m/s is 13.2 x 10-5 m2 near the suction
surface leading edge of the downstream blade and 2.9 x 10-5 m2 near suction surface
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leading edge of the upstream blade. The similar values for Ref-2 are 9.52 x 10-5 m2 and
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2.59 x 10-5 m2 respectively. The velocity near the leading edge of suction surface reaches
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close to the incompressible limit (0.4~0.5Ma), however, not near the transonic shock
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limit. The area of such high velocity contour is very small. The discretization of mass flow
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terms in mass conservation equation in ANSYS CFX is made as implicit as possible to take
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care of this compressibility effect[29]. The main difference between the reference
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geometry and others (with GV) can be seen in the downstream blades. With the inclusion
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of GVs in the mid plane, the flow gets obstructed after the upstream blade and a
significant difference is observed in the downstream blade contours. The angle of attack
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and relative velocity changes due to the GVs. While the high velocity contours are
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concentrated only near the suction side leading edge for reference geometries, such
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contours are more spread out in the downstream region for the turbines with GVs.
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Figure 9 shows the tangential vorticity contours at the mid chord plane for two
different flow coefficient before (0.225) and after (0.275) stall. Vorticity is the microscopic
measurement of rotation of fluid element at any point. It defines the strength of local
15

circulation in any flow field. For low flow coefficient, the suction surface of upstream
blade has high strength of vorticity contour near the tip surface of all geometries. This is
due to the tip leakage vortex generated from the tip gap. For downstream blade, high
strength of vorticity contours can be observed throughout the span of the blade along
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with the tip region. The vorticity contours along the span of the blade arise due to the
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abrupt high velocity in the downstream section as described in Fig 9. For post stall
condition at higher flow coefficient, the high strength vorticity contours are distributed
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throughout the blade span for both upstream and downstream blades. As a result, the
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flow cannot follow the rotor blade walls till the trailing edge and separation occurs near
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the mid chord length of the blade. This results in sudden drop of torque and efficiency
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after the stall point.
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The generation and leakage aspect of vorticity around the blade surface can be
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better understood by the isosurfaces of Q-criterion, where Q stands for the second
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invariant of velocity gradient tensor. Q-criterion identify vortices as connected fluid

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region where vorticity magnitude is more than strain rate magnitude [34]. Figure 10
shows the isosurfaces of Q-criterion differentiated by velocity magnitude at the suction

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surface of the blades for two different flow coefficient. At low flow coefficient (  = 0.225),
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for both Ref-1 and Ref-2, the vortices are seen only near the trailing edge (trailing edge
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vortices) and near the tip section (tip leakage vortices). For other cases, at  = 0.225, the
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vortices start to generate much before the trailing edge as the angle of the attack
increases due to the presence of mid plane GVs. At higher flow coefficient,  = 0.275, the
tip vortices are more prominent, and starts from the leading edge. On the suction side of
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blade, the isosurfaces reveal separation of the boundary layer. At lower flow coefficient,
for turbines without GV, such separation occurs only near trailing edge. However, for
turbines with GV, the vortices with higher velocity is generated near the leading edge and
distributed throughout the span of the blade. At higher flow coefficient, after the stall
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point, the vortices are bigger in size and randomly scattered along the suction surface of
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the blades.
Figure 11 shows the streamline distribution at 75% blade span for two different
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flow coefficients. The flow pattern can be explained from the streamlines around the
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rotor blade and the GVs. For GVs with concave side to the leading edge (case A and case
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C) a vortex is generated near the leading edge of GV and it proceeds towards the center
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of the GV. Such vortex are generated due to the presence of GV in mid plane. Instead of
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helping the flow to follow the GVs, here the GVs act as a blockage to the flow. For case B
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and case D, where the GVs concave side is towards the trailing edge, the vortex is
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generated in the center and towards the trailing edge of GV respectively. Such orientation
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of GVs (case B & D) changes the angle of attack for downstream blade. As a result the flow
separation occurs near the trailing edge of downstream blade for case B which is absent
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in case A.
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At higher flow coefficient, the angle of attack is high for both upstream and
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downstream blade. As a result, flow separation can be observed near the leading edge on
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the suction side of upstream blade for all the cases. As the GVs are stationary, the vortex
formation near the GVs remains almost similar for both the flow coefficients. At higher
flow coefficient, the flow separation in downstream blades occur very near to the leading
17

edge. This is visible for all the cases. This is due to the higher angle of attack as well as due
to the presence of GVs. Such early flow separation leads to the drop in performance for
the turbine.
In contrast to the conventional turbines, where the GVs are placed according to
d
ite
the blade inlet angle, in this case the GVs are placed based on the symmetry of the
ed
geometry due to bi directional nature of the turbine. As a result, the mid-plane GVs do
not assist in reducing the angle of attack for downstream blades. Rather the mid-plane
py
GVs cause abrupt flow separation and vortex generation near the surface of GVs. As a
Co
result, use of mid-plane GV does not show any improvement in the performance
ot
compared to the base geometry.
tN
Figure 12 shows the blade loading curve at 50% of blade span at flow coefficient
rip
0.225. The blade loading curve shows the pressure distribution from leading edge to
sc
trailing edge of the rotor blade. For any aerofoil, the pressure distribution around surface
nu
is a qualitative measure of the lift force generated by the aerofoil. The tangential force
Ma
generated by the rotor blade is a function of the lift and drag force and the angle of attack.
So the pressure distribution around the Wells turbine blade can give a measure of the
ed
torque generated by the blade. It can be seen that, for reference blades, the pressure
pt
distribution is similar for both upstream and downstream blades. This suggests that the
ce
total torque generated is shared equally by the upstream and downstream blade. The
Ac
pressure distribution for the four cases is less than the two reference geometries. This
suggests that that the total torque generated is less for the cases with GVs compared to
the reference geometry. Also, for the cases with GV, the downstream blade pressure
18

coefficient values are less compared to the upstream blade. This is due to the obstruction
in flow caused by the GVs in mid plane. For Case C, the pressure coefficient on upstream
blade is very less. The pressure coefficient is close to zero or negative in the pressure
surface. This leads to a drop in performance for this case.
d
ite
CONCLUSION
ed
Four different geometries of biplane Wells turbine with mid plane guide vane are
analyzed numerically and compared with two reference geometries without guide vanes.
py
The numerical analysis is carried out in commercial CFD code ANSYS. The flow
Co
characteristics around the blade and the mid plane is discussed in detail. The guide vanes
ot
in the mid plane increase the angle of attack for the downstream blades. Thus the
tN
incipient and dynamic stall points shifts towards lower flow coefficient for downstream
rip
blade. For reference turbines and Case A and C, the stall occurs at flow coefficient 0.250.
sc
Whereas, for cases B and D, the stall occurs before this point. As a result, Biplane turbine
nu
with mid-plane guide vane have less torque compared to the reference turbines. This
Ma
leads to overall decrease of turbine performance. Among the cases studied, Case A has
better performance than other three cases. The guide vanes in the mid plane creates
ed
obstruction to the flow path. Velocity of flow past guide vane is highly irregular and
pt
random in nature. For the cases with guide vanes, the flow separation area on suction
ce
side of the blade and the size of the vortices near tip are more compared to the reference
Ac
cases. One main reason for poor performance of guide vanes is the zero stagger angle
which is a constraint for bidirectional airflow. Biplane Well turbine with mid plane guide
vane having variable stagger angle can improve the performance of the turbine.
19

NOMENCLATURE
α blade inlet angle, degree
d
β blade exit angle, degree
ite
c chord length, mm
ed
CL lift coefficient
py
CT torque coefficient
Co
F tangential force, N
ot
G gap between rotor and stator blades, mm
tN
Ko lift interference factor
rip
 flow coefficient
sc
ρ density of fluid medium, kg/m3

nu
Ma Mach no.
Ma
Q volume flow rate, m3/sec
s cascade pitch, mm
ed
T total torque, N-m

pt
ce
u rotor velocity, m/s

Ac
v fluid inlet velocity, m/s
V fluid exit velocity, m/s
W relative velocity of fluid, m/s
20

ω rotational speed, rpm
θ circumferential angle between blades, degree
z Zweifel coefficient
∆𝑃0 pressure drop across rotor, Pa
d
ite
∆𝑃0∗ pressure drop coefficient
ed
py
SUBSCRIPTS
Co
0,1,2,3 meridional position in the
biplane turbine
ot
tN
a air
b rotor blade
rip
g guide vane
sc
t rotor tip
nu
Ma
ACRONYMS:
BWT Biplane Wells Turbine

ed
GCI Grid Convergence Index

pt
ce
GV Guide Vane
Ac
OWC Oscillating Water Column
RANS Reynold’s Averaged Navier Stokes
21

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Comments by the two anonymous reviewers are gratefully acknowledged.
d
ite
ed
py
Co
ot
tN
rip
sc
nu
Ma
ed
pt
ce
Ac
22

REFERENCES
[1] Falcao, A. F. D. O., and Henriques, J. C. C., 2016, “Oscillating-Water-Column Wave

Energy Converters and Air Turbines: A Review,” Renewable Energy, 85, pp. 1391–
1424.
d
[2] Thakker, A., Frawley, P., Khaleeq, H. B., and Bajeet, E. S., 2001, “Comparison of
ite
0.6m Impulse and Wells Turbines for Wave Energy Conversion under Similar
Conditions,” Proc. 11th International Offshore and Polar Engineering Conference,
ed
Norway, pp. 630–633.
[3] Shehata, A. S., Xiao, Q., Saqr, K. M., and Alexander, D., 2017, “Wells Turbine for
Wave Energy Conversion: A Review,” International Journal of Energy Research,
py
41(1), pp. 6–38.
[4] Raghunathan, S., 1995, “The Wells Air Turbine for Wave Energy Conversion,”
Co
Progress in Aerospace Sciences, 31(4), pp. 335–386.
[5] Suzuki, M., and Arakawa, C., 2008, “Influence of Blade Profiles on Flow around
Wells Turbine,” International Journal of Fluid Machinery and Systems, 1(1), pp.
ot
148–154.
tN
[6] Kim, T. H., Setoguchi, T., Kaneko, K., and Raghunathan, S., 2002, “Numerical
Investigation on the Effect of Blade Sweep on the Performance of Wells Turbine,”
Renewable Energy, 25(2), pp. 235–248.
rip
[7] Starzmann, R., and Carolus, T., 2014, “Effect of Blade Skew Strategies on the
Operating Range and Aeroacoustic Performance of the Wells Turbine,” Journal of
sc
Turbomachinery, 136(011003-1), pp. 1–11.

[8] Govardhan, M., and Chauhan, V. S., 2007, “Numerical Studies On Performance
nu
Improvement Of Self-Rectifying Air Turbine For Wave Energy Conversion,”

Engineering Applications of Computational Fluid Mechanics, 1(1), pp. 57–70.
Ma
[9] Soltanmohamadi, R., and Lakzian, E., 2016, “Improved Design of Wells Turbine for
Wave Energy Conversion Using Entropy Generation,” Meccanica, 51(8), pp. 1713–
1722.
ed
[10] Gato, L. M. C., and Falcao, A. F. D. O., 1990, “Performance of the Wells Turbine with
a Double Row of Guide Vanes,” JSME International Journal, 33(2), pp. 265–271.
[11] Takao, M., Setoguchi, T., and Kaneko, K., 1996, “Performance of Wells Turbine with
pt
Guide Vanes for Wave Energy Conversion,” Journal of Thermal Science, 5(2), pp.
ce
82–87.
[12] Halder, P., and Samad, A., 2014, “Effect of Guide Vane Angle on Wells Turbine
Ac
Performance,” Proc. of the ASME 2014 Gas Turbine India Conference,New Delhi,
India, pp. 1–7.
[13] Takao, M., Setoguchi, T., Kim, T. H., Kaneko, K., and Inoue, M., 2001, “The
Performance of a Wells Turbine with 3D Guide Vanes,” International Journal of
Offshore and Polar Engineering, 11(1), pp. 72–76.
[14] Setoguchi, T., Santhakumar, S., Takao, M., Kim, T. H., and Kaneko, K., 2001, “Effect
of Guide Vane Shape on the Performance of a Wells Turbine,” Renewable Energy,
23

23, pp. 1–15.

[15] Setoguchi, T., Takao, M., and Kaneko, K., 2000, “A Comparison of Performances of
Turbines for Wave Power Conversion.,” International Journal of Rotating
Machinery, 6(2), pp. 129–134.
[16] Raghunathan, S., 1993, “The Prediction of Performance of Biplane Wells Turbine,”
Proc. 3rd International Offshore and Polar Engineering Conference, Singapore, pp.
167–175.
d
[17] Ghisu, T., Puddu, P., and Cambuli, F., 2016, “Physical Explanation of the Hysteresis
ite
in Wells Turbines: A Critical Reconsideration,” ASME J. Fluids Eng., 138(11), pp.
111105-111105–9.
ed
[18] Mamun, M., Kinoue, Y., Setoguchi, T., Kim, T. H., Kaneko, K., and Inoue, M., 2004,
“Hysteretic Flow Characteristics of Biplane Wells Turbine,” Ocean Engineering,
31(11–12), pp. 1423–1435.
py
[19] Kinoue, Y., Kim, T. H., Setoguchi, T., Mohammad, M., Kaneko, K., and Inoue, M.,
2004, “Hysteretic Characteristics of Monoplane and Biplane Wells Turbine for
Co
Wave Power Conversion,” Energy Conversion and Management, 45(9–10), pp.
1617–1629.
[20] Kaneko, K., Setoguchi, T., Hamakawa, H., and Inoue, M., 1991, “Biplane Axial
ot
Turbine for Wave Power Generator,” International Journal of Offshore and Polar
tN
Engineering, 1(2), pp. 122–128.
[21] Shaaban, S., 2012, “Insight Analysis of Biplane Wells Turbine Performance,” Energy
Conversion and Management, 59, pp. 50–57.
rip
[22] Arlitt, R., Banzhaf, H.-U., Starzmann, R., and Biskup, F., 2009, “Air Turbine for a
Wave Power Station, Patent No. WO2009089902.”
sc
[23] Arlitt, R. G. H., Tease, K., Starzmann, R., and Lees, J., 2007, “Dynamic System
Modeling of an Oscillating Water Column Wave Power Plant Based on
nu
Characteristic Curves Obtained by Computational Fluid Dynamics to Enhance

Engineered Reliability,” Proc. 7th European Wave and Tidal Energy Conference,
Ma
Portugal, pp. 1–8.

[24] Alves, J. S., 2013, “Experimental and CFD Analysis of a Biplane Wells Turbine for
Wave Energy Harnessing,” Master Thesis, KTH Royal Institute of Technology.
ed
[25] Zweifel, O., 1945, “The Spacing of Turbo-Machine Blading, Especially with Large
Angular Deflection,” Brown Boveri Review, 32, p. 12.
[26] Weinig FS, 1964, Section B: Theory of Two-Dimensional Flow through Cascades. In:
pt
Aerodynamics of Turbines and Compressors, Princeton university Press.

ce
[27] Torresi, M., Camporeale, S. M., and Pascazio, G., 2009, “Detailed CFD Analysis of
the Steady Flow in a Wells Turbine Under Incipient and Deep Stall Conditions,”
Ac
ASME J. Fluids Eng., 131(7), pp. 071103-1–17.

[28] Gato, L. M. ., and Curran, R., 1996, “Performance of the Biplane Wells Turbine,”
Transaction of the ASME, 118(August 1996), pp. 210–215.
[29] Ansys, 2014, “ANSYS CFX-Solver Theory Guide-Release 15.0,” ANSYS, Inc.,
Canonsburg, Pennsylvania.
[30] Douvi C. Eleni, 2012, “Evaluation of the Turbulence Models for the Simulation of
the Flow over a National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) 0012 Airfoil,”
24

Journal of Mechanical Engineering Research, 4(3), pp. 100–111.

[31] Roache, P. J., 1998, “Verification of Codes and Calculations,” AIAA Journal, 36(5),
pp. 696–702.
[32] Celik, I., and Karatekin, O., 1997, “Numerical Experiments on Application of
Richardson Extrapolation with Nonuniform Grids,” Journal of Fluids Engineering,
119(3), p. 584.
[33] Gareev, A., 2011, “Analysis of Variable Pitch Air Turbines for Oscillating Water
d
Column (OWC) Wave Energy Converters,” Ph.D Thesis, University of Wollongong.
ite
[34] Hunt, J. C. R., Wray, A. A., and Moin, P., 1988, “Eddies, Streams, and Convergence
Zones in Turbulent Flows,” Proc. Summer Program, Center for Turbulence Research,
ed
p. 19.
py
Co
ot
tN
rip
sc
nu
Ma
ed
pt
ce
Ac
25

Figure Captions List
Fig. 1 Ref-1 and Ref-2 BWT
d
Fig. 2 Schematic representation of different geometric cases for analysis
ite
(dimensions in mm)
ed
Fig. 3 Computational domain and mesh
py
Fig. 4 Velocity diagram for BWT with and without GV
Co
Fig. 5 Validation with experimental result
Fig. 6 Comparison of different cases with reference

ot
tN
Fig. 7 Streamlines on suction surface of blade at  = 0.225
rip
Fig. 8 Velocity contour at 75% blade span for  = 0.225

sc
Fig. 9 Tangential vorticity contours at mid chord for different flow coefficient
nu
Fig. 10 Q-criterion isosurface colored by velocity magnitude at different flow

Ma
coefficient
ed
Fig. 11 Streamlines at 75% blade span for different flow coefficient

pt
Fig. 12 Blade loading curve at 50% blade span (  = 0.225)

ce
Ac
26

d
ite
ed
py
Fig.1 Ref-1 and Ref-2 BWT
Co
ot
tN
rip
sc
nu
Ma
ed
pt
ce
Ac
27

d
ite
ed
py
Co
ot
tN
rip
sc
nu
Ma
ed
pt
ce
Fig.2 Schematic representation of different geometric cases for analysis (dimensions in

Ac
mm)
28

Pressure
Turbine rotation direction
outlet
1.4C Periodic
5C
d
Velocity 10C
inlet
ite
Downstream blade
Upstream blade
ed
a) Computational domain without GV
Rotating domain
py
Co
Stationary domain
ot
Rotating domain tN
rip
Stationary domain
b) Computational domain with GV
sc
nu
Ma
LE TE
ed
pt
c) Mesh around the rotor blade

ce
Ac
d) Mesh around GVs
Fig.3 Computational domain and mesh
29

d
ite
ed
py
Co
ot
tN
rip
Fig. 4 Velocity diagram for BWT with and without GV

sc
nu
Ma
ed
pt
ce
Ac
30

0.7 Present result

Numerical, Shaaban (2012)
0.6 Experimental, Gato & Curran(1996)
0.5
0.4
P0*
0.3
d
0.2
ite
0.1
0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25 0.30 0.35
ed

py
0.16
Present result
Co
0.08
CT
ot
tN
0.04
0.00
rip
0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25 0.30 0.35


sc
Present result
0.8
nu

0.6
Ma
0.5

0.4
ed
0.3
0.2
pt
0.1
0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25 0.30 0.35
ce

Fig 5. Validation with experimental result
Ac
31

0.7
Ref-1 Ref-2 Case A
0.6 Case B Case C Case D
0.5
0.4
P0*
0.3
d
0.2
ite
0.1
ed
0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25 0.30

py
0.16
Co
Ref-1 Ref-2 Case A
Case B Case C Case D
0.12
0.08
ot
CT
tN
0.04
rip
0.00
sc
0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25 0.30


nu
0.8
Ma
Ref-1 Ref-2 Case A

0.7 Case B Case C Case D
0.6
ed
0.5

0.4
pt
0.3
ce
0.2
0.1
Ac
0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25 0.30


Fig 6: Comparison of different cases with reference
32

TE LE TE LE
Ref-1
Ref-2
LE TE
TE LE
d
ite
Case A
Case C
ed
py
Co
Case D
Case B
ot
tN
Downstream Upstream Downstream Upstream
rip
Fig. 7 Streamlines on suction surface of blade at  = 0.225

sc
nu
Ma
ed
pt
ce
Ac
33

Ref-1
Ref-2
d
ite
ed
py
Case A
Case C
Co
ot
tN
rip
Air flow
sc
Case D
Case B
nu
Ma
ed
pt
Fig 8. Velocity contour at 75% blade span for  = 0.225

ce
Ac
34

Upstream Downstream Upstream Downstream

Ref-1
Air Flow
Blade
PS SS
d
Case A
ite
ed
High intensity
vortices only
py
near tip
Case B
Co
ot
tN
Case C
rip
High intensity
sc
vortices near
midplane
nu
Case D
Ma
ed
 = 0.225  = 0.275
pt
ce
Fig 9. Tangential vorticity contours at mid chord for different flow coefficient
Ac
35

 = 0.225  = 0.275
Downstream Upstream Downstream Upstream
Ref-2 TE LE
PS
PS SS
SS
d
ite
Case A
ed
py
Co
Case B
Downstream Upstream
ot
Downstream
tN
Upstream
LE TE
LE
Ref-1
TE
rip
sc
SS SS
nu
Case C
Ma
ed
Case D
pt
ce
Ac
Fig 10. Q-criterion isosurface colored by velocity magnitude at different flow coefficient
36

d
ite
Case A,  = 0.225 Case A,  = 0.275 Case B,  = 0.225 Case B,  = 0.275
ed
py
Co
Air Flow
ot
tN
Case C,  = 0.225 Case C ,  = 0.275
rip
sc
nu
Ma
ed
Case D,  = 0.225 Case D ,  = 0.275

pt
ce
Fig 11. Streamlines at 75% blade span for different flow coefficient
Ac
37

2 2
PS PS
0 0
-2 -2
Cp
Cp
-4 -4
d
SS
SS
-6 -6
ite
Ref-1 Ref-2 Case A Ref-1 Ref-2 Case A
Case B Case C Case D Case B Case C Case D
-8 -8
ed
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0
X/C X/C
py
Upstream blade Downstream blade
Co
Fig.12 Blade loading curve at 50% blade span (  = 0.225)
ot
tN
rip
sc
nu
Ma
ed
pt
ce
Ac
38

Table Caption List
Table 1 Geometric parameters
Table 2 Boundary Conditions
d
Table 3 Estimation of uncertainty due to discretization
ite
ed
py
Co
ot
tN
rip
sc
nu
Ma
ed
pt
ce
Ac
39

Table 1: geometric parameters
Blade profile type NACA0015

Blade chord length 125 mm
8 (4 in each
Rotor Blade
Number of blades
plane)
Solidity at mean 0.64 (0.32 per
d
radius plane)
ite
Tip radius 294 mm
Hub to tip ratio 0.68
ed
Tip clearance 1 mm
Profile type Circular arc
py
Cord length 90 mm
Number of GVs 20
Co
GV
GV thickness 2 mm
Solidity at mean
1.16
radius
ot
Stagger angle tN 0o
rip
sc
nu
Ma
ed
pt
ce
Ac
40

Table 2: Boundary conditions
Parameter Description
Flow domain Two blades
(One blade/
plane)
d
Fluid (air) Incompressible
ite
Mesh Unstructured
Interface Periodic
ed
Outlet Pressure
Residual 1x10-6
py
criteria
No. of 2000
Co
iterations
ot
tN
rip
sc
nu
Ma
ed
pt
ce
Ac
41

Table 3: Estimation of uncertainty due to discretization
Parameters Values
Number of cells N 1/ N 2/ 10.495x106/
N3 4.406x106/
d
2.413x106
ite
Grid refinement factor 𝑟21 1.33
𝑟32 1.22
ed
Computed torque ∅1 0.09261
coefficients (CT) at φ =0.225 ∅2 0.09250
py
corresponding to N1, N2, N3 ∅3 0.09275
Apparent order p 3.6
Co
Extrapolated values ∅21
𝑒𝑥𝑡 0.09267
∅32
𝑒𝑥𝑡 0.09226
Approximate relative error 𝑒𝑎21 0.0011
ot
𝑒𝑎32 0.0027
21
Extrapolated relative error 𝑒𝑒𝑥𝑡 0.064%
tN
32
𝑒𝑒𝑥𝑡 0.260%
21
Grid convergence index 𝐺𝐶𝐼𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑒 0.076%
rip
32
𝐺𝐶𝐼𝑐𝑜𝑎𝑟𝑠𝑒 0.322%
sc
nu
Ma
ed
pt
ce
Ac
42

d
ite
ed
py
Co
ot
tN
rip
sc
nu
Ma
ed
pt
ce
Ac
43

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Journal of Fluids Engineering.

Received May 08, 2018;

The Effect of Mid-Plane Guide Vanes in a

the base model is presented in the current study.

Keywords: Well turbine, biplane, guide vane, OWC, CFD

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Raghunathan [4] analytically studied the different parameters of Wells turbine

energy is lost at the downstream of the rotor blade.

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characteristics compared to 2D GVs.

improvement of performance. A comparison of different types of Wells turbine [15]

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suction surface of the upstream blade.

in the mid- plane of the turbine is provided in this work.

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(Zweifel coefficient) is based on non-dimensional force on the cascade. The Zweifel

coefficient is given by Eq. (1)

provided other values are known or assumed properly.

interference factor is given by Eq. (4)

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blade and the GV is 48 mm.

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Mesh generation is a key component in the simulation environment. One of the

High-resolution advection scheme of second-order accuracy is implemented to calculate

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The Grid Convergence Index (GCI) is calculated based on Richardson extrapolation

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compared to the angle of attack without the GV.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Based on the previous literature, the Wells turbine performance is expressed

Flow coefficient (Eq. 8):

flow coefficient (  =0.075) to a high flow coefficient (  =0.30).

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The computational result of Ref-1 is validated with the available experimental

substantiated by the numerical result of Shaaban [21].

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Case B and D, the stall occurs near  = 0.225.

the flow characteristics on the rotor blades.

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separation and drop in performance.

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velocity. A similar velocity contour pattern is observed in the downstream blades,

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invariant of velocity gradient tensor. Q-criterion identify vortices as connected fluid

shows the isosurfaces of Q-criterion differentiated by velocity magnitude at the suction

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surface. This leads to a drop in performance for this case.

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α blade inlet angle, degree

ρ density of fluid medium, kg/m3

Q volume flow rate, m3/sec

T total torque, N-m

u rotor velocity, m/s

v fluid inlet velocity, m/s