Hydrodynamic Model of a Hydrokinetic Converter and Improvement in the Surrounding Ecosystem Through the Installation of Artificial Reefs

• María Isabel Lamas Galdo ^[1] ; Luis Carral Couce ^[1] ; Juan José Cartelle Barros ^[1] ; Rodrigo Carballo Sánchez ^[2] ; Iván López Moreira ^[2] ; David Mateo Fouz Varela ^[2]
  1. [1] Universidade da Coruña

     Universidade da Coruña

     A Coruña, España

     
  2. [2] Universidade de Santiago de Compostela

     Universidade de Santiago de Compostela

     Santiago de Compostela, España

     
• Localización: Proceedings of the IV Iberoamerican Congress of Naval Engineering and 27th Pan-American Congress of Naval Engineering, Maritime Transportation and Port Engineering (COPINAVAL) / coord. por Luis Carral Couce, Jorge Enrique Carreño, José de Lara Rey, María Isabel Lamas Galdo, Juan José Cartelle Barros, Javier Tarrío Saavedra, Rodrigo Carballo Sánchez, Adán Vega Sáenz, Patrick Townsend Valencia, 2024, ISBN 978-3-031-49799-5, págs. 329-334
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • Marine renewable energies are gaining more and more relevance in the face of a decarbonization of the energy sector. Specifically, the present work focuses on hydrokinetic energy, that is, on the use of marine currents. Contrary to what it may seem at first, the installation of hydrokinetic converters does not have to harm the marine ecosystem, but an appropriate design is capable of improving conditions for the marine population due to the changes promoted in the flow. The circulation of nutrients that a hydrokinetic converter promotes can be fundamental for an appropriate quality of life of the organisms that live in its surroundings. In this sense, the present work proposes an analysis of the flow around a hydrokinetic converter with a view to improving the marine ecosystem and the possibility of installing artificial reefs to achieve a double objective: promoting the use of renewable energies and restoring marine ecosystems. The analyses are based on a CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) model, which provides information from the hydrodynamic point of view that will be used to analyze the installation of artificial reefs in the vicinity of the hydrokinetic converters.