Recipient Organization
eGen LLC
66 Neptune Drive
Groton,CT 06340
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Rural communities throughout the United States suffer from a severe lack of job opportunities, poor education, and poor healthcare. The population of many of these communities is shrinking at the same time and compounding problems. Simultaneously there is an increased concern regarding climate change and the nation's reliance on foreign energy supplies. The renewable energy firm, eGen LLC, has developed a hydrokinetic energy harvester that is capable of producing clean, renewable energy from slow moving water without emitting any greenhouse gases. This technology will not require the construction of dams or the rerouting of any water sources and it is designed so that it can efficiently and cost effectively be built in the United States. We have designed two patent pending devices that are being used in this energy harvester. To maximize the efficiency of the technology, vital to any renewable energy system, further research and development is required. This effort will be coordinated with the engineering school at the University of Connecticut, who will provide a testing lab with a water flume for testing and expertise including a computational fluid dynamics analysis. An Acoustic Doppler Velocity (ADV) meter (Sontek) will allow us to visualize the 3D flow velocity fields in the vicinity of the cylinder at specific locations and continuous time. Strain or displacement sensors will be attached at key locations in the structure and gage data will be collected with a data-logger and appropriate software (LabView or LoggerNet). A Linear Variable Differential Transformer (LVDT), a device used for measuring linear displacement, will allow us to measure the motion of the cylinder pinions so that estimates of power produced can be made even in the absence of an alternator. The completion of this research will provide a detailed understanding how several variables behave and allow eGen to produce a highly customized product based on the flow conditions at any site. One of the markets that we are currently targeting is the manmade watercourses, which provide several benefits including a streamlined FERC licensing process, clean water, and abundance. The US is crisscrossed with thousands of miles of aqueducts and irrigation ditches, which provides a large and unique opportunity. Many of these watercourses flow through rural farmland, where the potential for installing many units to produce large quantities of energy exists. This will provide these regions with jobs in the form of manufacturing, installing, and maintenance of the units. Additionally the end users could become energy generators and sell the excess energy. This will help the US achieve its clean energy goals, energy independence, and provide the communities in rural America an important economic opportunity.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
The research and development will be conducted in conjunction with the engineering department at the University of Connecticut. In initial testing there, the MicroFin provided a 30% increase in lift force and a 100% increase in reciprocation frequency when compared to a smooth cylinder. The RotoFin, will rotate the Magnus cylinders by harnessing the energy from flowing water and converting it into mechanical energy. The energy required to rotate the Magnus cylinder at a fluid velocity that gives the maximum lift coefficient is less than 10% of the energy able to be produced by the generated lift force. While this testing was promising, prior theories have indicated that the relationship between MicroFin size and cylinder diameter is not linear. It is in this critical area that the research will focus; to try and understand the relationship between the MicroFins, cylinder diameter, fluid flow velocity, and boundary layer. All of the above items are important questions that have to be answered in order to create the most efficient energy harvester. We will conduct this research under the most common fluid flow and size parameters found in aqueducts. This will give us the best base from which to judge the most effective system configuration for any given site. This study will improve the general knowledge base of how boundary layers act in many different flow conditions, which could lead to technological improvements in hydrodynamics and aerodynamics. This technology will have a direct and significant impact on the clean energy market; the ability to harvest vast quantities of electricity from slow moving water provides infinite possibilities for clean renewable energy production including aqueducts, irrigation ditches, waste water treatment plants, rivers, streams, and tidal zones. This would shift the entire energy market, making the US energy independent, and eliminating much of the pollution currently associated with energy production. Transitioning to clean energy will be beneficial to the entire population by reducing pollution and the associated healthcare costs including treatment of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, respiratory infections, dyspnea, chronic bronchitis, bronchoconstriction, and death from cardiovascular and respiratory illness. The relatively small cost of the necessary research is far outweighed by the potential benefits of this technology.
Project Methods
The prototype will be tested in the hydraulic flume in a laboratory at the UConn Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering. An Acoustic Doppler Velocity (ADV) meter (Sontek) will allow us to visualize the 3D flow velocity fields in the vicinity of the cylinder at specific locations and continuous time. Strain or displacement sensors will be attached at key locations in the structure and gage data will be collected with a data-logger and appropriate software (LabView or LoggerNet). A Linear Variable Differential Transformer (LVDT), a device used for measuring linear displacement, will allow us to measure the motion of the cylinder pinions so that estimates of power produced can be made even in the absence of an alternator. Other appropriate sensors will be considered in case LVDT cannot be arranged to work for this purpose. In previous testing, the cylinder moved up and down. Since the motion was in the vertical plane, the gravity (weight) of the moving parts and the buoyancy complicated the problem by masking the effects of lift. To eliminate this potential problem, in this study the prototype system will be designed and built so that the reciprocating motion will be realized in the horizontal plane. Approximately 5 cylinder diameters will be tested with and without dimples and grooves. Each will be put under 3 different water flow velocities. These tests will be done for 4 different cylinder rotation speeds. Finally, a comprehensive analysis of the laboratory test results will be accomplished to understand the effects of the design chance in the cylinder in the lift force generated. The prototype hydropower structure will also be analyzed using the finite element (FE) technique to investigate the feasibility of predicting the lift force and the amplitude of reciprocating motion generated. These will be compared with the laboratory results to validate the FE model. The FE model will provide an accurate tool to predict the response of the larger scale structure to be deployed in the field. This is important in order to provide scale-up predictions for implementation of this technology. Furthermore, the FE analysis will be important to determine the stresses and deformation of the structure and thus will assess the structural integrity of the structures to be employed in the field. While in operation, the structural system will move continuously under the action of moving water, thus the analysis will be based on the concept of structural dynamics. Since most parts of the structural system move under water, careful consideration will be given to account for the direction-dependent resistance provided by the liquid (water) to the structural motion. In addition, damping to the structural motion provided by other causes, such as contact friction between various components at a joint will be adequately accounted for in the final model if they are determined to be of significance. Stresses and deformations will be computed from the strain data and the results will be compared with those obtained from the FE analysis. Finally, FE modeling will include some full-scale simulations in order to facilitate projections for real-world applications.