Marine Current Numerical Simulation in the Lembeh Strait, North
Sulawesi, Indonesia
Parabelem Tinno Dolf Rompas, Marianus and John Robby Wenas
Universitas Negeri Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia
Keywords: Numerical simulation, marine current, RANS model, marine current turbines.
Abstract: This paper presents a numerical simulation to describe the velocities of marine current in the Lembeh strait,
North Sulawesi, Indonesia. These velocities were used to make the turbine profile in the marine current
turbines. The RANS calculations were performed in its modelling. The turbulence model using the 3D
mixing-length model for shallow water flows that the vertical velocities are small. It’s found the marine
current velocities can be used to design of the marine current turbines in the power plant installation. The
power density maximum capacity in the small zone of Lembeh strait by the numerical measurement result is
82.11 kW/m
2
which enable to the power plant installation in the future.
1 INTRODUCTION
The study in the Lembeh strait is conducted (Hadi et
al, 2015) to observe the relationship between
morphological and species diversity of sponges in
coral reef ecosystem in the Lembeh Strait and to
investigate the most influential factor of habitat on
the sponge diversity. The study is not investigated a
numerical model and its simulation. Also, in study
(Dwinovantyo et al, 2017) is only to determine
sediment concentration from measured acoustic in
the Lembeh strait. Atmojo et al. (2017) are
conducted experiments and numerical simulations in
Lembeh strait. The results are showed that in the
Lembeh strait enable to applied farming method of
some turbines.
The numerical models and its simulations of
marine current are used by researchers to find
velocity distributions. The validation of a numerical
model is studied by (Rompas et al, 2017d) for
analyzing kinetic energy potential in the Bangka
strait, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Rompas and
Manongko (2016) are studied the numerical
simulations of marine currents in the Bunaken strait,
North Sulawesi, Indonesia. They study are to get
simulations of the velocity and kinetic energy
distributions. A numerical model is got by (Rompas
et al, 2017b) who described the velocity
distributions of marine current in the Bangka strait
by using RANS (Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes)
equations. The approach of a numerical model is
conducted (Rompas et al, 2017a) to study on marine
currents in the Bangka strait, North Sulawesi,
Indonesia to plan the marine current power plant.
The same study is conducted by (Rompas and
Manongko, 2018a; Rompas and Manongko, 2018b)
in the Manado bay but (Rompas and Manongko,
2018b) presented on the free surface by numerical
modelling. Rompas et al (2017c) are designed a
numerical model for predicting the velocities and
kinetic energies by conditions at low and high tide
currents with two discharges of 0.1 and 0.3 Sv.
respectively. Study on tidal marine currents has
conducted by Martinez et al. (2018), Badshah et al.
(2018), Fraser et al. (2018), Bishoge et al. (2018),
Lust et al. (2018), Frost et al. (2018), and Dai et al.
(2018) which explains that marine currents can
produce electrical energy through the velocity of
marine currents that drive tidal turbines. They are
used the models of numerical and experimental.
Study on modelling and numerical simulations of
marine currents by using CFD (Computational Fluid
Dynamics) has investigated by Schuchert et al.
(2018), Vogel et al. (2018), Gong et al. (2018),
Bonar et al. (2018), Nuemberg and Tao (2018),
Hachmann et al. (2018), Brown et al. (2017), Lo
240
Rompas, P., Marianus, . and Wenas, J.
Marine Current Numerical Simulation in the Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi, Indonesia.
DOI: 10.5220/0009009102400245
In Proceedings of the 7th Engineering International Conference on Education, Concept and Application on Green Technology (EIC 2018), pages 240-245
ISBN: 978-989-758-411-4
Copyright
c
2020 by SCITEPRESS Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved
Brutto et al. (2016), Malki et al. (2014), and
Turnock et al. (2011).
The objective of the study is to get a numerical
simulation of marine current in the Lembeh strait,
North Sulawesi, Indonesia for the goal making the
turbine profile that used in development of marine
current power plant in the Lembeh strait in the
future.
2 METHOD
The RANS equations that are deformed by the
Navier-Stokes equations after turbulent averaged
and assumed the pressure in the depth is hydrostatic
(Rompas et al, 2017c). The numerical model is used
the semi-implicit finite difference to solve 3D with
the 3D mixing-length model for shallow water flows
that the vertical velocities are small.
Figure 1: The map of the Lembeh strait
Figure 2: The bathymetry of the Lembeh strait
Figure 1 shows the map of study in the Lembeh
strait, Indonesia. The zone of numerical model is
located between Lembeh Island and Sulawesi Island
on 125
0
11’15.95”E-125
0
17’21.98”E and
1
0
25’47.65”N-1
0
32’52.29”.
Figure 2 shows the bathymetry in the Lembeh
strait with the maximum depth of 140 m and at the
small zone is average of 15 m depth and width of
550 m.
Figure 3: Flowchart of a numerical model
Figure 3 shows steps of a numerical model for
the calculation of velocity distributions by using
Marine Current Numerical Simulation in the Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi, Indonesia
241
Fortran 90 application programs. The input and read
data is the process to read all data and the
calculation of parameters needed for calculation of
the velocities in direction axes x, y, and z
respectively included maximum time to do iteration
that using the all of parameters as explained in
Rompas et al (2017c). The beginning condition is
the all of variable as beginning velocities is zero
included calculation to Tecplot 9 application
programs which is an application for simulation. The
seawater depths are generated by the vertical mesh
using Argus One application programs. The layers of
vertical axis (depth) are generated by indexing and
generating index of boundary layers as denote for
deformation of the meshes. The discharge and
average velocities are calculated to beginning
conditions in calculation the velocities.
The “n” symbol shows the calculation quantity in
iteration to do the calculation process until
maximum iteration. Determination whether a
program can proceed to velocities calculations
needed to process of the advection. The using of
model turbulence refers to Rompas et al (2017a)
with 3D mixing-length models. The free surface is
calculated by using a linear five-diagonal system to
get the seawater surface elevation. In the other hand,
the components of velocities (U and V) are
calculated by using a linear three-diagonal included
for calculating the convective and viscous term,
whereas for calculating velocity vertical W used
equation in Rompas and Manongko (2018b).
Finally, the calculation results as the velocities (U,
V, and W) printed to simulations in the Tecplot 9
application programs. If iteration is not maximum
then the process back to “n” to do the process again,
and if iteration is maximum then calculation stop.
The velocity distributions are calculated by
numerical computational at the conditions of low
and high tide currents. The conditions are conducted
by Rompas and Manongko (2016), Rompas and
Manongko (2018a), and Rompas and Manongko
(2018b) in the Manado bay and by Rompas et al
(2017a), Rompas et al (2017b), Rompas et al
(2017c), and Rompas et al (2017d) in the Bangka
strait.
Power density of marine current can be
calculated by equations (1) and (2) respectively
(Rompas et al, 2017a).



(1)
where, P
d
is power density per cross-sectional area
in kW/m
2
and V is the velocity resultant of
marine current, V =
222
wvu
,
u
,
v
, and
w
respectively are scalars (numerical equations), and ρ
= 1024 kg/m
3
(at 20 C and salinity of 34).
The results of print which are calculated by
numerical then used to process simulation by using
Tecplot 9 application programs. The simulations are
resulted 2D-simulated of velocity distributions when
low and high tide currents. The results of simulation
analyzed by compare to the results of other studies.
Then, the results concluded to reveal the conditions
of marine current in the Lembeh strait.
3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Figure 4 shows the velocity distributions when low
tide currents at discharge of 0.1 Sv (1 Sv = 1000000
m
3
/s) (Rompas et al, 2017c). The results are showed
that velocities in around small zone are different to
big zone. That’s because flow of marine current is
blocked by the small zone. Also, the perpendicular
cross-sectional area passed by the current is very
small (average of 8250 m
2
) compared to the other
zone, so that the velocities of current become large.
Figure 5 shows the velocity distributions when high
tide currents at discharge that same as Figure 4. The
higher velocities are showed on the small zone with
the perpendicular cross-sectional area is so small.
EIC 2018 - The 7th Engineering International Conference (EIC), Engineering International Conference on Education, Concept and
Application on Green Technology
242
Figure 4: 2D-simulated of velocity distributions when low
tide currents
Figure 6 and 7 are show the velocities in around
of small zone are varied from 0.00-5.09 m/s (when
low tide currents) and when high tide currents of
0.00-4.59 m/s (Figure 8 and Figure 9). Both of when
inside and outside the small zone, the velocities are
become small and between the small zone become
large. The results are greater than Atmojo et al.
(2017) who study of marine current energy potential
in Lembeh strait by using numerical simulations of
software world tide 2009. Likewise the results from
Rompas and Manongko (2016), Rompas et al.
(2017), and Rompas and Manongko (2018) by using
the numerical simulations of Fortran 90 and tecplot
9. The current movement is straight not only before
enter the small zone but also after out of the small
zone (Figure 7 is enlarged from Figure 6 which is
marked with red color rectangle), while in Figure 9
(enlarged from Figure 8 which is marked with red
color rectangle), the current moves before enter the
small zone with the direction to Northwest and
living the small zone to West.
Figure 5: 2D-simulated of velocity distributions when high
tide currents
Figure 6: 2D-simulated of velocity value distributions
when low tide currents
Marine Current Numerical Simulation in the Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi, Indonesia
243
The average velocity before enter the small zone
is 4.00 m/s at the low tide current (Figure 7) and
when the high tide current is 4.00 m/s (Figure 9).
When the currents living the small zone, the average
velocity at low tide currents is 4.50 m/s and when
the high tide current of 4.00 m/s.
Figure 7: 2D-simulated of velocity distributions when low
tide currents in around the maximum velocities
Figure 8: 2D-simulated of velocity value distributions
when high tide currents
The results are showed that marine currents that
flowing in around of small zone when low tide
currents are different when high tide current. The
values when low tide currents more than when high
tide currents.
The result will be used to make the turbine
profiles. The marine current potential for power
plant installation is the small zone that the current
velocities are biggest (Figures 7 and 9 that showed
by the red color rectangle). In this zone, the
maximum capacity of power density that installed by
farm turbines (Figure 7 shows maximum capacity
greater than Figure 9) is 82.11 kW/m
2
. The results, if
compared by Atmojo et al. (2017), Rompas and
Manongko (2016), Rompas et al. (2017), and
Rompas and Manongko (2018) are greater. The
results are enabling to develop marine current power
plant at the small zone (Figures 7 and 9 in areas the
red color rectangle) in the future.
Figure 9: 2D-simulated of velocity distributions when high
tide currents in around the maximum velocities
4 CONCLUSIONS
The numerical simulation of marine currents in the
Lembeh strait, North Sulawesi, Indonesia was
successfully studied. The velocity distributions when
low tide currents are different when high tide
currents include the values of velocity distributions
which the values when low tide currents are bigger
than when high tide currents. The values are can be
used to design marine current turbines. The capacity
of power plant by the numerical measurement is
enable to install marine current power plant at the
small zone of Lembeh strait, North Sulawesi,
Indonesia in the future.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors are very thankful to DRPM,
Kemenristekdikti, Indonesia which has given
financial in this study.
EIC 2018 - The 7th Engineering International Conference (EIC), Engineering International Conference on Education, Concept and
Application on Green Technology
244
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