Ocean Tidal Energy Potential and Blade Simulation: Brief Review

Abstract

Tidal power is a predictable marine renewable resource; however, its deliverable output remains strongly constrained by site exclusions,
environmental limits, array losses, and distance to the grid. This brief review presents the recent peer-reviewed work on (i) resource potential, (ii) turbine and
array technology, and (iii) CFD-based blade/rotor simulation for vertical-axis tidal turbines (VATT). Global assessments suggest an order-of-magnitude
harvestable tidal-stream energy of around 1200 TWh per year, while tidal-range atlases report much larger theoretical values, 9220 TWh/y, that are unlikely to
be buildable once ecological, social, and infrastructure constraints are applied. For Malaysia, the Straits of Malacca are repeatedly identified as having usable
tidal-stream resources, but are more realistically framed for localized, small-scale, or off-grid supply. In contrast, selected Sabah and Sarawak sites exhibit microto small-scale prospects that still require validated hydrodynamics and device-level evidence. In modelling, the straight-bladed (H-type) Darrieus VATT is often
highlighted for its scalable geometry and competitive performance in low-to-moderate currents; however, CFD predictions are sensitive to turbulence closure,
blockage or confinement, and discretization choices. The literature converges on a defensible ANSYS Fluent workflow using transient sliding-mesh URANS
(commonly SST k–ω), explicit grid and time-step independence (preferably via dimensionless criteria rather than more cells), and validation against flume or
tunnel datasets. Looking ahead, progress is best accelerated by an integrated pathway that couples realistic resource and array modelling with
reliability/maintainability, degradation management, and environmental risk governance to move from promising potential to bankable projects.