Yabin Liu, University of Cambridge

Engineering the Vortex: Structural Innovations for Advanced Wind and Tidal Turbines

Wind energy supplied approximately 30% of UK electricity in 2025, underscoring its central role in the transition to net zero. Tidal power, though still at the demonstration stage, has the potential to meet up to 11% of annual UK electricity demand. However, key fluid-dynamic challenges continue to limit the performance, scalability, and environmental acceptability of turbine technologies.

In wind farms, turbine wakes reduce downstream power output by 20-46% due to persistent tip vortices and slow wake recovery. In tidal turbines, vortex-induced cavitation constrains operation at high tip-speed ratios, limiting efficiency and power capacity. These same tip vortices are also a primary source of aerodynamic and hydrodynamic noise, which affects environmental impact, regulatory approval, and public acceptance.

My research develops passive structural flow-control strategies that address these vortex-driven limitations at their physical origin. By engineering blade-tip permeability, I have demonstrated a novel mechanism to passively accelerate vortex breakdown and weaken coherent tip vortices. CFD simulations and collaborative experiments show that controlled permeability can substantially reduce vortex strength, mitigate cavitation risk, promote faster wake recovery, and reduce tip-generated noise.

Because these interventions operate at the microscale and require no active control systems, they introduce minimal additional cost or system complexity. This work illustrates how structural innovation—guided by fluid dynamics—can simultaneously enhance efficiency, durability, and acoustic performance, enabling more scalable and sustainable energy and transport systems.