M. Ahmed/M. Faizal/K. Prasad/Y. Cho/C. Kim/Y. Lee
The Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology, vol. 24, no. 4, pp.943-949, 2010

Abstract : In wave motion, the water particles are known to follow orbital paths. This orbital motion was used to drive five-bladed Savonius rotors. Experiments were performed on an array of four rotors placed in a two-dimensional (2-D) wave channel. The flow around the rotors was documented using particle image velocimetry measurements. The submergence of the rotors and the distance between them were varied, and the rotational speeds of the rotors (Nn) were recorded at different wave frequencies. It was found that rotational speeds increased with an increase in the wave frequency, as it amplified the wave height that increased the kinetic energy of the particles in their orbital motion. The rotational speeds decreased when the distance between the rotors increased. High rotational speeds are recorded when the array of the rotors is placed close to the water surface at the smallest centre-to-centre distance between the rotors.

Keyword : Wave energy; Orbital motion; Savonius rotor; Particle image velocimetry; Flow characteristics