Characterizing Tidal Flows and Turbine Power Production in Petit Passage using Oceanographic and CFD Models

The goal of this project was to identify potential turbine deployment locations in Petit Passage Nova Scotia, using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and finite volume coastal ocean models (FVCOM). To achieve this, the research team validated the computer models against previously collected acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) data in the Passage. Several turbine placement configurations were considered within the channel (side by side, offset, and upstream/downstream) in order to calculate and assess how each configuration influenced power generation potential.