Transcript OWEL Tidal flow acceleration

Marine energy resource
Wave and Tidal energy experimental studies
Introduction
Tidal flow acceleration
Fundamental research on wave and tidal
energy devices has been conducted at the
University of Southampton covering a wide
range of devices, hydrodynamic and
physical parameters.
By creating a tapered sea bed foundation
for a tidal turbine it is possible to increase
the flow speed which will increase energy
capture from a device.
Horizontal axis tidal turbines
Optimum
location
for tidal
turbine
A range of scale turbines have been
constructed to investigate power generation
performance,
cavitation,
flow
field
characterisation and device interaction
effects.
Fastest
flow
Slowest
Upright leading
to power train
above tank floor
Flow over ramp foundation
Height above bed
Inflow
Downstream distance
Turbine rotor
-800mm diameter
-CNC machined
Measured flow velocity approaching and flowing
over a scale tapered turbine foundation.
Hub & dynamometer
-torque / thrust
OWEL
A 1/40th-scale model of the Offshore
Wave Energy Limited device has been
developed at the University. Waves enter
the open-ended tapered duct and force air
through a turbine. Experiments have
quantified the power extraction over a
range of wave conditions. Based on the
results, device geometries have been
optimised.
1/40th scale prototype (left), Fully instrumented 1/20thscale turbine (top right) and dual turbine arrangement
(bottom right)
Tidal fences
Investigating the
effects of rows of
tidal turbines using
porous media to
simulate
energy
extraction.
www.southampton.ac.uk
Wave travelling along the duct of the OWEL device
(left) and the long wave flume facility used for
testing (right).
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www.energy.soton.ac.uk