Hydrokinetic or InStream Energy Conversion

1
Hydrokinetic (or In-Stream) Energy Conversion

• Extracts kinetic energy from a moving fluid
  stream
• Low head devices, Impoundment Dam not needed,
  high velocity flow needed
• Similar in principle to wind turbines
• Applies to Tidal flows, River runs and ocean
  currents

2
Tidal Turbine Concepts

3
Turbines 101

• Kinetic Energy rate through a disk
• Pdisk 1/2 ?V3 A
• Efficiency or power coef.
• ? or CpPact/Pdisk
• Betz Limit of Extraction efficiency
• ?max 0.593

4
European effortsEMEC Tidal Power Test Facility
5
Some European Developers
6
Northeast Tidal Power Companies

• Verdant Power
• - over 7M invested
• - 2 prototypes in East River NY
• - Generated power with single turbine
• Oceana
• - Aggressive in getting permits
• - NY, Maine, NH, AK
• - Nothing in water
• Ocean Renewable
  Power Company (ORPC)
• -1M invested
• -300K MTI grant
• -Permits for Western Passage/Cobscook Bay
• -Recent deployment of test turbine
  protrotype

7
Maine Collaborative Projects

• Teamed with Industrial Partners
• Cianbro Corp. - Offshore Construction
• Ocean Renewable Power Company
• Academic Partnership with MMA,UMaine and MIT on
  Tidal Power Turbine Characterization and design
  and analysis tools
• Industry project with developer ORPC with UMass
  Dartmouth to Characterize and model crossflow
  turbines
• Proposal team for DOE UMaine,
  UAlaska and MIT

8
Why is Maine doing this?

• Maine Maritime Academy is located in a ideal
  location for tidal energy extraction.
• MMA has a substantial Waterfront Complex
• MMA has a strong history in the Power Production
• UMaine has one of the premier Marine Science
  programs in the Northeast US
• Infrastructure and expertise for environmental
• impact research studies
• The resource exists in Maine!

Bagaduce Narrows
9
Bagaduce River Test Sites
10
Bagaduce Narrrows
Test site streamwise spacing
MMA Site at Bagaduce Narrows
11
Example ProjectUMaine/MMA JointUndergraduate
Capstone

• TEAM MEMBERS
• Richard L. Smith1 (SM)
• Paul E. Arnold1 (SM)
• Eric Martin2
• Richard Peale2
• Patrick Bates2
• Jacob Folz2
• Russell Dunn2
• Scott Lessard2

12
Project Initiative Development
Develop a Set of Baseline Tidal Turbine Designs
to
Characterize Performance and Efficiency Maps for
Standard Turbine Types (Axial, Ducted, Cross Flow)
Characterize the Interaction Effects of Tidal
Turbine Arrays (How to Lay Out the Tidal Turbine
Farm)
Characterize the Downstream Turbulent Wake Flow
for Environmental and Geophysical Impact
University of Maine Maine Maritime Academy are
Working to Produce and Use the Tidal Turbine Test
Bed with the Ultimate Goal of Providing Baseline
Data for the Tidal Turbine Industry.
13
Rapid Turbine Development
OpenProp Code
3D Rapid Prototyping
Turbine Test Bed
14
Tidal Turbine Test Bed

• 6 Axis Dynamometer
• Power Instrumentation and Drive Train
• Strut Housing
• Nacelle

15
Dynamometer Instrumentation Drive Train

• DC Stepper Motor
• Linear Bearings
• 100 pulse/rev Rotary Encoder
• Stainless Steel Chain w/ Nylon Sprocket

16
Tow Tank Testing
100 x 8 x 40 Deep Tow Tank Tested 3 Flow
Speeds, with 5 Different Torsion Loads for Each
Speed
17
Turbine Test DataRaw Data
18
Turbine Test DataDimensional Performance
19
Turbine Test DataNon Dimensional Performance
Tip Speed Ratio
Power Coefficient
20
Status of UMaine work
A Turbine Test Bed was Designed Fabricated Teste
d
Successfully Demonstrated Measurement
Capabilities Now need to move to realistic
models, cross-flow design and begin optimization
21


Development of Open-Sourced Turbine
Design/Analysis Tools (OpenProp)
Geometry Design Saved or Modified in a CAD Program
Prototype Turbine Inputs
Parametric Input
Prototype Turbine Outputs
Parametric Output
3D Printing of Turbine Prototype
22
Crossflow Turbine Test Rig (with ORPC)

One UMaine Ph.D., two UMaine MS and almost 20
UMaine and MMA undergraduates are involved in
this work, this is the nuclease of the workforce
for a future industry NACA Valley ?
23
Eff map
Development of Open-Sourced Turbine Design and
analysis Codes
24
If we have a good design, how much energy will it
produce

• The technology does not exist to fully
  characterize the allowable impact extraction of
  energy from a system
• 0th order models (EPRI Report) are the basis of
  investment
• Need the open source turbine to evaluate losses
  and determine extractable resource
• Need to know value to determine economics

Remember the mantra investors HATE uncertainty
25
Numerical Modeling of Tidal Flows
Tidal Power Density at Western Passage and
Cobscook Bay ME
26
Nested Estuarine and Embayment Models in the Gulf
of Maine e.g., a finite element model of
Cobscook-Passamaquoddy Bays
27
(No Transcript)
28
(No Transcript)
29
log10(ru3)
30
High power density More predictable
resource Strategically positioned in Maine
31
Will a commercial facility alter the tidal
regime? To what extent can we extract the energy
resource?
32
This technology will not progress unless

• Public funding to reduce risk
• Resource assessment
• Environmental assessment
• Large commitment of private resources to develop
  low risks sites
• Our goal, to protect our natural beauty and
  reduce risk for developers
• Developers hate uncertainty (Cape Wind)
• We extract as much energy as we can safely
  dont relearn basic turbine design!

33
Will tidal turbines solve global warming, provide
cheap energy and make the blind see?

• Anyone who has a simple solution to these
  problems is naïve or dishonest
• The capital costs have no parallel in the current
  economy
• Building railroads
• Enclosure act in England
• We need it all, a period of technoligical instab

A good time to be an engineer who likes challenges
34
This is a New Model

• Biomass/Heat Pump 20 of needsstarted
  accelerating
• Terrestrial wind, 5, of needsstarted with
  expansion over 2-4 years
• Tidal 10 of our needsstarting in 1 to 3 years
  and build out in a decade
• Refitting of hydroelectric 5 started
• Permit and expand existing nuclear plants
• Reduce risk and uncertainty for off-shore wind

Is this new?
35
Climate Stabilization WedgesS. Pacala and R.
Socolow August 2004 Science
Giga tonscarbon eq.
We have an economic and a moral responsibility to
focus on thewedges which we can impact. In
Maine we are not only part of the first world
problem, we are not even doing well compared to
our wasteful peers
36
No One Solution

• Where does engineering fit
• We are weak in many critical academic areas
• We have forgotten many of the basics
• How to build a realbusiness
• How to work with people
• The Perfect solution
• There is no savior
• Someone with a single simple solution is lying or
  naive

37
We need to fill every niche in theNew England
electricity Mix
Source ISO New England, 2002 Graph from
Northern Power Systems
38
Barrier Analysis of Energy in Northeast
Challenges
The profession needs To identify realistic
objectives, and get to work
39
Change is necessary to preserve