Design Feasibility Study for a Low Velocity Tidal Stream Turbine

The research will investigate the feasibility of extracting energy from low velocity (< 2 m/s) tidal flows, using the UK waters as a case study. Existing research and commercial developments have focused on the energy extraction from high velocity flows (> 2 m/s), given the priority has been to optimise the potential renewable energy. However there are numerous issues associated with the associated technologies relating to the operation, reliability, maintenance and survivability of turbines in these high energy flows.
Consequently, there is now a need to consider the potential energy from low velocity tidal currents, where some of these issues will not be so paramount and the resulting energy costs make this option economically attractive. Given the different tidal conditions, it is imperative that a feasibility study is first undertaken to analyse the environmental conditions and determine the design parametrics required for a tidal stream turbine to operate in such low velocity flows.
The study will therefore provide information to the tidal turbine developers on the design requirements for a low velocity tidal stream turbine, including the blade geometry and the drive train system as well as a Levelised Cost of Electricity (LCOE) evaluation for comparison with existing technologies.

Academic Impact: This research will produce academic impacts via three synergistic pathways; collaboration, publication and education.

Collaboration: The project supports collaboration within UK. Four researchers will work on this project with the support of six permanent academic staff.
Collaboration will form the basis of the relationships between the researchers and the organisations offering technology support. Direct links with the technology specialists working within the industrial partners will help direct and underpin the research. Each company will benefit from the exposure of the proposed solutions enabling them share this information with their existing and future customer base.

Publication: Research findings will be disseminated to the marine energy industry and academia through presentations at a conferences, public lectures and journal papers, in due course. In particular, the work will be presented at AWTEC 2019 or other similar international conference, and at least one joint technical paper will be submitted to a refereed journal, such as Renewable Energy.

Education: The success of marine energy as a sustainable industry requires highly skilled and motivated engineers. This in turn requires the raising of the profile of marine energy as a career choice. The work from this project will be directly represented in specialist renewable energy, engineering and oceanographic and environmental undergraduate and master's level programs within the universities. This will include the conduct of projects that will be embedded within the work of the proposed research as well as the provision of specific taught modules. All of the researchers will receive bespoke training as required for their project work, including training from ANSYS for the CFD models.

Economic impact: The marine energy sector faces many challenges if it is to develop further as a viable and sustainable sector. There is a body of advanced technology which currently has provided an excellent basis upon which to build. Nautricity have established their Tidal stream Turbine design and successfully manufactured and tested prototype devices. This research will help to determine if there is the potential to expand current technologies into a new market, namely devices for low velocity (< 2 m/s) flows and build upon existing collaborations between industry and academia.

Impact acceleration into product development will be informed through involvement of the industrial partners.

Societal impacts: Society has an increased expectation in the capacity of the technologies being developed to produce renewable energy. TST technology is complex and its application less visible than most presently deployed energy systems. It must be explained and exploited at the level appropriate to the audience. In the final quarter of the project, a public lecture will be organised, providing an overview of the project, and providing an opportunity for public debate.
The work will also be disseminated to the public, and other beneficiaries, through fully accessible websites at the various collaborators.