Developments in large marine current turbine technologies – A review (original) (raw)
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An up-to-date review of large marine tidal current turbine technologies
2014 International Power Electronics and Application Conference and Exposition, 2014
Owning to the predictability of tidal current resources, marine tidal current energy is considered to be a reliable and promising renewable power source for coastal areas or some remote islands. During the last 10 years, various original horizontal axis and vertical axis marine current turbines (MCT) have been developed around the world. Although various projects have been reported in the state-of-the-art research papers in recent years, many of these projects were only at the design stage when the papers were published. In fact, some projects do not have any further developments during the several years after the first reporting. In this paper, up-to-date information about large tidal turbine projects over 500 kW is focused. The newest achievements of these large tidal current turbine technologies are presented. These technologies represent the industrial solutions for several pre-commercial MCT farm projects in the coming years. This paper provides a useful background for researchers in the marine turbine energy domain.
2002–2012: 10 Years of Research Progress in Horizontal-Axis Marine Current Turbines
Energies, 2013
Research in marine current energy, including tidal and ocean currents, has undergone significant growth in the past decade. The horizontal-axis marine current turbine is one of the machines used to harness marine current energy, which appears to be the most technologically and economically viable one at this stage. A number of large-scale marine current turbines rated at more than 1 MW have been deployed around the World. Parallel to the development of industry, academic research on horizontal-axis marine current turbines has also shown positive growth. This paper reviews previous research on horizontal-axis marine current turbines and provides a concise overview for future researchers who might be interested in horizontal-axis marine current turbines. The review covers several main aspects, such as: energy assessment, turbine design, wakes, generators, novel modifications and environmental impact. Future trends for research on horizontal-axis marine current turbines are also discussed.
A review on the technologies, design considerations and numerical models of tidal current turbines
Renewable Energy, 2020
Tidal current turbine is one of the innovative and emerging technologies of marine renewable energies because it offers constant and predictable energy source that can be very beneficial, especially for commercial scale production of electrical power. Hydrofoils (HF) are essential elements of tidal current turbine (TCT) and should be properly designed as they play a vital role in improving the turbine output and providing adequate resistance to the blade structure. In connection with the hydrofoil designs, it is noteworthy that the primary objectives in their designs are to increase the coefficient of lift and to reduce the coefficients of drag and pitching moment, thus delaying the cavitation phenomenon. In this paper, the technology developments of the hydrofoil designs used in the horizontal axis TCT industry are reviewed, including the hydrodynamics design and the mechanical structure design. Besides, an up-to-date review and the newest achievements of marine TCT technologies with their developing histories are further explored. Included are also reviews on the numerical models used to assess the performance of TCT and optimization methods applied to design the hydrofoils. This in turn significantly contributes to a better knowledge on the recent designs of TCT hydrofoils for the researchers working in the marine turbine energy domain. Such information could also have important implications in the design of more sophisticated hydrofoils for the exploitation in diverse tidal current energy technologies for reaching a sustainable future.
2015
This paper sets the context for the development of tidal current technology in the face of impending climate change and so called ‘peak oil’. Siting requirements are specified for tidal turbines and a general overview of the different technologies under development is given. Specific and detailed descriptions of leading Marine Current Turbine’s technology are also highlighted. The paper considers the likely environmental impact of the technology, con-sidering in particular possible (perceived and real) risks to marine wildlife, including birds. It concludes by indicating the planned future developments, and the scale and speed of implementation that might be achieved.
Marine Tidal Current Electric Power Generation Technology: State of the Art and Current Status
The potential of electric power generation from marine tidal currents is enormous. Tidal currents are being recognized as a resource to be exploited for the sustainable generation of electrical power. The high load factors resulting from the fluid properties and the predictable resource characteristics make marine currents particularly attractive for power generation and advantageous when compared to other renewable energies. Moreover, international treaties related to climate control have triggered resurgence in development of renewable ocean energy technology. Therefore, several demonstration projects in tidal power are scheduled to capture the tidal generated coastal currents. Regarding this emerging and promising area of research, this paper reviews marine tidal power fundamental concepts and main projects around the world. It also report issues regarding electrical generator topologies associated to tidal turbines. Moreover, attempts are made to highlight future issues so as to index some emerging technologies mainly according to relevant works that have been carried out on wind turbines and on ship propellers.
Tidal Current Energy Technologies
Ibis, 2006
This paper sets the context for the development of tidal current technology in the face of impending climate change and so called 'peak oil'. Siting requirements are specified for tidal turbines and a general overview of the different technologies under development is given. Specific and detailed descriptions of leading Marine Current Turbine's technology are also highlighted. The paper considers the likely environmental impact of the technology, considering in particular possible (perceived and real) risks to marine wildlife, including birds. It concludes by indicating the planned future developments, and the scale and speed of implementation that might be achieved.
Marine Current Turbines and Generator preference. A technology review
Marine current power is a significant energy resource yet to be exploited for electricity production. Several novel turbine technologies can be found on the market, and new ones emerge every year. This study found that the most popular choice seems to be the axial flow three-bladed turbine, although the industry has not yet converged to one preferred technology. An overview of the turbine technologies is presented with drive train layout for each device, if this information is obtainable. The majority of manufacturers use geared (mechanical or hydraulic) solutions, and an induction or a synchronous generator. The few direct drive systems all use PM synchronous generators. For prototype turbines there is a trade-off between choosing a proven generator technology that is not optimised for the application, and using a prototype machine that may reduce the number of design iterations.
Tidal current turbines glance at the past and look into future prospects in Malaysia
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2012
Periodic changes of water levels, and associated tidal currents, are due to the gravitational attraction forces between the Earth, the Sun and the Moon. These changes can be transformed to a renewable energy resource called Tidal Current Energy. A number of resource quantization and demonstration studies have been performed throughout the world and it is believed that offshore ocean energy sector will benefit from this emerging technology. In this study, a set of basic definitions which are relevant to this technology are presented with an overview on the main tidal turbine schemes and the mooring methods that in use. A review of the current development and their fields of applications are outlined. The Blade Element Momentum BEM method and the Computational Fluid Dynamics CFD are discussed. The last section highlights the importance of this technology and its applicability in Malaysia. Other renewable energy resources in Malaysia are highlighted and discussed as well.
Tidal Stream Turbine-Introduction, current and future Tidal power stations
The dependence on fossil fuels for energy production has come to an alarming stage. Energy demand continues to increase with growing population. Consequently fossil fuel reserves are continuously draining and the world is confronted with their extinction in near future. This implied the use of nonconventional energy sources. Out of many such sources Tidal is the one which requires high amount of research. Tidal current technologies have salient advantages such as cleaner than fossil fuels, intermittent but predictable, security and diversity of supply, and limited social and environmental impacts. This paper presents the tidal stream turbines' working, types and some information about current and future power stations.