EAGER: Sediment Transport in the Wake of a Marine HydroKinetic Turbine

EAGER：海洋水力涡轮机后的沉积物输送

• 批准号: 1317382
• 负责人: Anya Jones
• 金额: $ 5.69万
• 依托单位: University of Maryland, College Park
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-04-01 至 2015-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1317382&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: EAGER; Sediment; Transport; Wake; Marine

Marine HydroKinetic (MHK) energy is a largely undeveloped renewable energy source with great potential. Energy recovery from freestream flows such as rivers, tidal passages, and ocean currents may eventually make a significant contribution to U.S. power, but we currently lack understanding of how to recover this energy in an environmentally-safe way. Because of the highly concentrated nature of the resource and the environmental sensitivity of most, if not all, of the high-energy-density sites, successful recovery of MHK energy depends critically on finding answers to the most pressing environmental concerns. Specifically, we do not yet understand how the operation of MHK devices alters the local flow environment and resulting sediment dynamics, nor do we have the methods to quantify these effects. Redistribution of sea floor sediment by the wake of the turbine or its support structure could potentially change the character of the benthic ecosystem. Resuspension of sediment may reintroduce contaminants that had otherwise settled out of the freestream, and the momentum deficit in the wake of the turbine could lead to enhanced deposition. For marine hydrokinetics to become a viable energy resource in the U.S. and the rest of the world, we must understand the environmental effects of these devices.In this EAGER project, Laboratory-scale demonstration experiments will be performed on models of MHK turbines to model the different environments where MHK energy recovery is currently being evaluated. A novel two-phase particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique developed at UMD will be used to quantify the suspended load dynamics of both the carrier fluid and the sediment particles. Bed profiling will be used to assess changes in the local erosion and deposition. The long-term of the PIs is to characterize and quantify the two-phase flow-physics of the interaction between the sea floor geophysical environment and the wake of an MHK turbine, with a specific interest in the redistribution of sediment.Intellectual MeritThe intellectual merit of this work lies in the fundamental nature of non-equilibrium sediment dynamics that occur as a result of a complex flow characterized by high levels of turbulence and vorticity. First, the PIs will quantify the effect of the near wake of a MHK turbine on sediment uplift and transport in laboratory-scale experiments, primarily with the goal to produce demonstration data that illustrates the capabilities and utility of the facility and techniques. Based on the enhanced understanding of the relevant flow-physics gained through these experiments, the PIs will start the initial investigations of the scaling conditions and modeling that will allow the creation of new models for sediment transport induced by MHK flow fields.Broader ImpactsThe broader impacts of this work will extend to both the educational and industrial arenas. The proposed research will enable MHK energy to be assessed in a fair, timely and efficient manner, over a broad range of potential operational sites and conditions. Thus, it could open the doors to a new source that could quickly impact the percentage of renewable energy produced in the United States, displacing non-renewable and polluting sources.

海洋水力学（MHK）能量是一种不发达的可再生能源，具有巨大的潜力。从河流，潮汐通道和洋流等自由式的能源恢复最终可能会使美国的权力做出贡献，但目前我们缺乏了解如何以环境安全的方式恢复这种能量的理解。由于资源的高度集中性以及大多数（如果不是全部）高能密度站点的环境敏感性，MHK能源的成功恢复取决于＆＃64257;对最紧迫的环境问题的答案。特定＆＃64257; cally，我们尚不了解MHK设备的运行如何改变局部环境和产生的沉积物动力学，我们也没有量化这些效果的方法。涡轮机或其支撑结构后，海洋＆＃64258; oor沉积物可能会改变底栖生态系统的特征。沉积物的重悬可能会重新引入否则会从自由式中定位出来的污染物，并且在涡轮机之后的动量DE＆＃64257; CIT可能会导致增强的沉积。 为了使海洋水力学在美国和世界其他地区成为可行的能源资源，我们必须了解这些设备的环境效应。在此急切的项目中，将对MHK涡轮机模型进行实验室规模的演示实验，以模拟目前正在评估MHK能源回收的不同环境。在UMD上开发的一种新型的两相粒子图像速度法（PIV）技术将用于量化载体的悬浮载荷动​​力学＆＃64258; uid和泥沙颗粒。 Bed Pro＆＃64257; Ling将用于评估局部侵蚀和沉积的变化。 PI的长期是表征和量化海洋之间相互作用的两相＆＃64258; OR地球物理环境和MHK涡轮机的效果，并具有对沉积物的重新分配的特定效率的特定范围的利益。由于复杂＆＃64258; OW发生的沉积动力学，其特征是高水平的湍流和涡度。 首先，PIS将量化MHK涡轮机对实验室规模实验中沉积物隆起和运输的近乎效果，主要是出于产生示范数据的目标，以说明设施和技术的能力和实用性。 Based on the enhanced understanding of the relevant flow-physics gained through these experiments, the PIs will start the initial investigations of the scaling conditions and modeling that will allow the creation of new models for sediment transport induced by MHK flow fields.Broader ImpactsThe broader impacts of this work will extend to both the educational and industrial arenas.拟议的研究将使MHK能量能够在广泛的潜在运营场所和条件下以公平，及时和EF＆＃64257; CIENT的方式进行评估。因此，它可以向新来源打开门，该新来源可能会迅速影响美国生产的可再生能源的百分比，从而取代不可再生和污染的来源。