<p>The objective of this work is to design an experimental setup for a small-scale three-bladed, horizontal-axis Ocean Current Turbine (OCT). This OCT model will be used in the University of New Orleans (UNO) towing tank laboratory to test an electromechanical power takeoff system to produce sustainable renewable energy. This paper describes the required experimental apparatus design by considering sizing elements, bill of materials, schematics, and performance simulation of the expected system.&nbsp;The implementation of an actual experimental small-scale turbine complements the analytical and numerical investigations on turbine design characteristics achieved by ongoing research at UNO based on panel method in addition to conformal mapping methods along with Blade Element Momentum Theory (BEM) for generated power prediction. The towing tank experimental approach will be used to verify performance of the turbine.&nbsp;OCTs generate power due to local forces, especially the lift force applied to the rotor blades. In addition, there are undesirable forces on the carriage which must be considered in order to avoid any structural damage to the full-scale prototype. The method is used here to estimate the nominal generated power at different carriage speeds and rotor blade rotational speeds. The carriage speed mimics the motion of the water current which contains an immense store of kinetic energy.&nbsp;The tip speed ratio is varied in order to achieve optimal power production at a constant carriage speed to measure the power obtained. This can be done by adjusting the rotational speed of the rotor blades. The apparatus system design has been divided in two subsystems: (i) motor power supplier and (ii) generator power production. The motor drive power supply should be capable of creating a DC bus voltage from the AC line voltage by utilizing a switch mode power supply. Adjusting the rotational speed can be delivered by regulating the duty cycle to make the output voltage variable to control the DC motor speed. Once the reference rotational steady state speed is obtained, the AC line voltage will be removed to allow electrical brake circuitry to connect to the DC motor while the carriage moves the turbine. The DC motor generates electrical current flowing through the electrical brake that can be measured to compute the power generated, along with the rotor rotational speed. The results of the experiment described as well as analytical data acquired will be the basis of evaluating the efficiency of the generator and calculating the optimum terminal power.</p>

A Small-Scale Experimental Ocean Current Turbine Apparatus for Power Measurement

Paper Proceedings: https://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/IMECE/IMECE2021/volume/85543

ASME 2021 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition (IMECE2021)

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