Measurements of Turbulence at Two Tidal Energy Sites in Puget Sound, WA
Field measurements of turbulence are pre- sented from two sites in Puget Sound, WA (USA) that are proposed for electrical power generation using tidal current turbines. Rapidly sampled data from multiple acoustic Doppler instruments are analyzed to obtain statistical mea- sures of fluctuations in both the magnitude and direction of the tidal currents. The resulting turbulence intensities (i.e., the turbulent velocity fluctuations normalized by the harmonic tidal currents) are typically 10% at the hub- heights (i.e., the relevant depth bin) of the proposed turbines. Length and time scales of the turbulence are also analyzed. Large-scale, anisotropic eddies dominate the energy spectra, which may be the result of proximity to headlands at each site. At small scales, an isotropic turbulent cascade is observed and used to estimate the dissipation rate of turbulent kinetic energy. Data quality and sampling parameters are discussed, with an emphasis on the removal of Doppler noise from turbulence statistics.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (US)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 1047397
- Report Number(s):
- PNNL-SA-82496; EB4500000
- Journal Information:
- IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering, Journal Name: IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 37
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
ACOUSTICS
Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP)
Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter (ADV)
CYSTEAMINE
DATA
DEPTH
ENERGY
ENERGY SPECTRA
FLUCTUATIONS
HARMONICS
KINETIC ENERGY
LENGTH
NOISE
POWER GENERATION
PUGET SOUND
REMOVAL
SAMPLING
STATISTICS
TURBINES
TURBULENCE
Tidal energy
USA
VELOCITY
marine and hydrokinetic energy
tidal power
turbulence
turbulent intensity