Barnacle Probes: Effect of motion on turbulence measurements
Year: 2025
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: Reliable turbulence measurements are essential for deploying underwater tidal energy due to the effect of unsteady flow on turbine performance and lifespan. This paper investigates the application of motion-correction techniques to a novel turbulence sensor, the Barnacle, for more accurate turbulent flow estimation. Instrument deployment was conducted in Strangford Narrows during October and November 2024 from a floating flow-facing offshore barge, with multiple Barnacles validated against a Nortek Vector ADV. Preliminary validation of the smaller Barnacle probe indicated good streamwise-normalised median velocity agreement of within 20% in all three directions for a long-term 12-hour deployment. Motion-corrected median TKE and median streamwise TI were also within 12% of the Vector-derived values and agreed with previously published data from the deployment location. While Vector data were used to correct for acceleration-induced contamination due to limitations of the inertial measurement unit of the Barnacles, this will be rectified in future work to further improve motion correction.
Authors: Elias Marchetti, Ian Benson, Alan Hunter, Anna Young
Institutions: University of Bath, Queen's University Belfast
Language: English
Subfield: Aerospace Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4414218104