Performance characteristics and optimisation of marine current energy converter arrays

Completed

Renewable Energy Sources(Ocean Energy)

Applied Research and Development

PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Physics)
PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Applied Mathematics)
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering)

Not Cross-cutting

Dr U Hassan
Garrad Hassan and Partners Ltd

Standard

DTI

01 December 2005

30 November 2008

35 months

£536,498

Power

South West

TIDAL

Dr U Hassan, Garrad Hassan and Partners Ltd

Project Contact, Lunar Energy Ltd
Project Contact, Hydrovision Ltd
Project Contact, University of Southampton
Project Contact, Soil Machine Dynamics Ltd

Marine current conversion technology is at the prototype stage with the deployment of single turbines already underway. In the medium term turbines will be installed in farms - arrays of turbines that will interact with the flow and each other, modifying both the performance of and loading experienced by the turbines. Understanding the interaction between the turbines will be critical in determining the most appropriate layout of the farms to maximise energy capture and minimise loading on theturbines. Through model and full scale testing as well as numerical modelling, the building blocks required for the development of a design tool for tidal stream turbine arrays will be put in place. Currently no data are available to indicate device / flow / device interactions and virtually no work is being conducted on the arrangement (wake and blockage effects) of turbines within an array. The innovation within the proposed project is therefore clear.

01/01/07