PFI: BIC- The Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy Project: Optimizing Novel Hydro-Kinetic Renewable Energy Systems via State-of-the-Art Computational Fluid Dynamics Research

创新伙伴关系：圣安东尼福尔斯实验室-明尼苏达大学（SAFL）的建设创新能力项目寻求1)利用SAFL开发的新型计算流体动力学算法和实验技术，独特的海洋和水动力学（MHK）能源领域设施和Verdant Power公司（VPI）的行业领先专业知识，以及Energetx复合材料公司在材料科学和复合材料叶片制造方面的进步；（ECI）解决阻碍商业发展和广泛部署利用MHK能源的技术的主要技术和环境障碍；2)以美国原住民学生为重点，为MHK行业培养下一代劳动力。提出了一个三管齐下的研究计划：1)通过流固耦合计算工具设计和测试优化后的下一代MHK涡轮转子叶片，使其在真实的水生环境中可靠高效地运行；2)通过特定站点的计算建模优化VPI将在纽约市东河罗斯福岛潮汐能源（RITE）站点开发的中试规模30台涡轮机，1.05MW阵列的布局；3)开发和展示计算工具的效用，以量化和减轻由于MHK阵列-地貌耦合相互作用造成的环境影响。该项目教育计划的核心是与Salish Kootenai学院（SKC）的合作，该学院将寻求通过专注于MHK能源的技术和创业内容来丰富该学院的四年制学位课程。本项目中使用的计算框架能够在任意复杂的水道中进行高分辨率的湍流模拟，其中嵌入了自然和/或人工水工结构和/或MHK涡轮机和多涡轮机阵列，考虑到涡轮叶片的水弹性效应，以及涡轮机与水道形态动力学过程之间的相互作用。这一计算框架将进一步发展，并在现实世界的MHK项目中展示，利用两家小型企业合作伙伴的行业领先的专业知识和独特的现场设施。由此产生的基于模拟的工具箱将被翻译为业务合作伙伴，首次为他们提供对涡轮机如何在现实水生环境中表现和相互作用的深入机制理解；以及一个强大的基于仿真的工程科学工具箱，用于特定地点的涡轮阵列优化，以提高效率和环境兼容性。从MHK资源中利用清洁和可再生能源的技术目前处于开发的预商业化阶段，为了使这个新兴产业影响国家的经济和可再生能源组合，需要克服许多技术和环境挑战。如今，美国的MHK行业处于一个类似于风电技术早期的阶段，当时还没有一个可行的行业出现。由于新兴行业中小企业面临的市场压力，VPI和ECI等公司的创新能力严重受损。拟议的PFI将使两个行业合作伙伴能够利用独特的最先进的仿真工具，并成为MHK行业的国际领导者。此外，VPI在纽约市备受瞩目的RITE项目的成功将为整个美国MHK行业提供重大推动，并有助于加速MHK能源技术在全国的广泛部署。PFI教育计划将为SKC水文学学位课程提供试点内容，在技术和企业发展同时发生的情况下，将美洲原住民保留地与有前途的新技术独特地联系起来；在美国原住民保留区的农村社区为MHK技术开辟一个新的潜在市场；并将这一努力作为在美国和第三世界国家其他农村社区实施的模式进行试点。项目启动时的合作伙伴有：1)牵头机构：明尼苏达大学双城分校圣安东尼福尔斯实验室（科学与工程学院）；2)小企业合作伙伴：Verdant Power， Inc.（纽约州罗斯福岛）和Energetx Composites， Inc.（密歇根州荷兰）；3)学术机构：Salish Kootenai学院（Pablo， MT）。

This Partnership for Innovation: Building Innovation Capacity project from the St. Anthony Falls Laboratory-University of Minnesota (SAFL) seeks to 1) leverage novel computational fluid dynamics algorithms and experimental techniques developed by SAFL, the unique marine and hydrokinetic (MHK) energy field facilities and industry-leading expertise of Verdant Power, Inc. (VPI), and advances in material science and manufacturing of composite blades by Energetx Composites, Inc. (ECI) to tackle major technological and environmental roadblocks hindering commercial development and wide-spread deployment of technologies for harnessing MHK energy resources; and 2) contribute toward educating the next generation workforce for the MHK industry with emphasis on Native American students. A three-pronged research plan is proposed aimed at 1) Designing and testing via fluid-structure interaction computational tools the next generation of MHK turbine rotor blades optimized for reliable and efficient operation in real-life aquatic environments; 2) Optimizing via site-specific computational modeling the layout of VPI's pilot-scale 30-turbine, 1.05MW array to be developed in the Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy (RITE) site in the East River in New York City; and 3) Developing and demonstrating the utility of the computational tools for quantifying and mitigating environmental effects due to coupled MHK array-geomorphology interactions. At the core of the educational plan of this project is the collaboration with Salish Kootenai Colleg (SKC), which will seek to enrich the 4-year degree program of this college with technological and entrepreneurial content focused on MHK energy. The computational framework to be used in this project is able to carry out high-resolution simulations of turbulence in arbitrarily complex waterways with embedded natural and/or man-made hydraulic structures and/or MHK turbines and multi-turbine arrays, taking into account hydro-elastic effects of turbine blades, and the interactions between turbines and waterway morphodynamic processes. This computational framework will be further developed and demonstrated in a real-world MHK project by leveraging the industry-leading expertise and unique field facilities of the two small business partners. The resulting simulation-based toolbox will be translated to the business partners to provide them for the first time with in depth mechanistic understanding of how turbines perform in and interact with real-life aquatic environments; and a powerful simulation-based engineering science toolbox for site-specific optimization of turbine arrays for efficiency and environmental compatibility.Technologies for harnessing clean and renewable energy from MHK resources are currently at the pre-commercial stage of development and a number of technological and environmental challenges need to be overcome for this emerging industry to impact the nation's economy and renewable energy portfolio. Today, the U.S. MHK industry is at a stage similar to the early days of wind power technology prior to the emergence of a viable industry. Due to market pressures confronting small businesses in a nascent industry sector, the innovation capacity of companies like VPI and ECI is seriously impaired. The proposed PFI will enable both industry partners to leverage unique state-of-the-art simulation tools and emerge as international leaders in the MHK industry. Furthermore, the success of VPI's highly visible RITE project in New York City will provide a major boost to the entire U.S. MHK industry sector and help accelerate the wide-spread deployment of MHK energy technologies throughout the nation. The PFI educational plan will provide pilot content for the SKC Hydrology degree program that will uniquely link a Native American reservation with promising new technologies at a point where technology and entrepreneurial development are happening simultaneously; open-up a new potential marketplace for MHK technology in rural communities on a Native American reservation; and pilot this effort as a model for implementation in other rural communities in the U.S. and in third-world countries.Partners at the inception of the project are the 1) Lead Institution: St. Anthony Falls Laboratory at University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (College of Science and Engineering); 2) Small Business Partners: Verdant Power, Inc. (Roosevelt Island, NY) and Energetx Composites, Inc. (Holland MI); and an 3) Academic Institution: Salish Kootenai College (Pablo, MT).