Air Turbine Development

Completed

Renewable Energy Sources(Ocean Energy)

Applied Research and Development

PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Physics)
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Electrical and Electronic Engineering)
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering)

Not Cross-cutting

Mr B Waterland
Peter Brotherhood Limited

Standard

DTI

01 June 2005

30 September 2007

27 months

£100,254

Power

East of England

WAVE

Mr B Waterland, Peter Brotherhood Limited

Project Contact, Cranfield University

This proposal is for a dramatic reduction in the cost per kWh of Oscillating Water Column (OWC) devices through the innovative integration of power electronics, turbine design and control algorithms made possible due to recent advances in system optimisation and CFD modelling. A new air turbine, HydroAir, will be developed able to extract useful generated energy from a much broader range of sea states than technology currently in use. The proposal teams PBL with Cranfield University, linking aworld-wide expertise and reputation in delivering turbomachinery power solutions with advanced turbomachinery research, design and analysis. Novel inlet flow conditioning provides optimum entry conditions to the turbine. An improved turbine coupled with power electronics controlling the turbine into and out of the stall flow region delivers increased peak and real efficiency gains as well as overall system control. These advances are truly innovative, deliver increased energy consistently throughout the year and offer the breakthrough critical for the UK lead in applying ‘wet renewable technology’ to low cost, sustainable energy generation world-wide.

01/01/07