Innovative Design and Comprehensive Computational Investigations on the Performance Enhancement of Advanced Horizontal Axis Turbines for Unmanned Marine Vehicles

The integration of advanced horizontal axis turbines (HATs) into unmanned marine vehicles (UMVs) significantly enhances their operational efficiency by providing power sources. These vehicles, designed for diverse applications, require efficient power systems to operate autonomously over extended periods. The major disadvantages are limited battery life and energy storage capabilities restrict their operational range and endurance of the UMVs. Utilizing HATs in UMVs provides a renewable energy source, reducing operational costs. This continuous power supply enhances mission capabilities and promotes energy independence, making them ideal for long-term missions. Thus, using Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models, hydrodynamic and aerodynamic analyses were carried out. For the hydrodynamic scenario, a velocity of 10 m/s and the aerodynamic case, 27.7778 m/s, were taken into consideration. It is concluded that the UMV with Stepped HAT modification can be effectively employed for energy extraction because it provides the maximum torque, which is 50.65% more in hydrodynamic analysis and 58.03% more in aerodynamic study than the base case. It was also found that the performance was enhanced by the HATs thus concluding that the modified HAT blades provide better aerodynamic results.