Vortex and wake interactions of multiple oscillating foils for energy harvesting

Abstract eng:
The vortex and wake interactions of multiple oscillating foils are investigated with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and compared with experimental measurements for energy harvesting applications. Oscillating with high pitch and heave amplitudes to maximize power production, the elliptical-shaped foils generate large coherent vortices at the leading and trailing edge, which are shed downstream to create a large highly structured wake of vortices with alternating sign. Downstream foils oscillate within the large organized wake at a relative phase angle to the lead foil such that power efficiency is optimized. When placed directly downstream of one another, the optimal phase of a second foil is to avoid interactions with the first foil’s wake, generating less than half of the total power of the first foil. However, when placed in a staggered configuration the downstream foil has a 20% increase in efficiency through constructive vortex-foil interactions.

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