Improvement of wells turbine performance by means of end plate

Abstract

The Wells turbine is a self-rectifying air turbine which is expected to be widely used in wave energy devices with the oscillating water column (OWC). According to previous studies, however, the Wells turbine has inherent disadvantages in comparison with conventional turbines : lower efficiency and poorer stating characteristic. In order to improve the performance of the Wells turbine for wave energy conversion, the effect of end plate on the turbine characteristics has been invistigated experimentally by model testing using an oscillating airflow rig. And then, the characteristics of the Wells turbine with end plates have been compared with those of the original Wells turbine, i. e., the turbine without end plate. As a result, it is found that the characteristics of the Wells turbine with end plates are superior to those of the original Wells turbine and the characteristics are dependent on the size and position of end plate.