PFI-TT: A Cost-Effective and Scalable Tidal Current Energy Harvesting System

这个创新伙伴关系-技术转化（PFI-TT）项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是在技术和商业上为潮汐能转换器（TCECs）开发一种变革性的解决方案。提出的技术提高了效率，输出速度变化最小，维护要求低，增加了耐用性，并且可以通过大范围的尺寸进行扩展。它将把TCEC的切割速度降低到低潮流速度，打破潮流能量收集技术的限制。TCECs将使用开发的恒速发电机系统来产生与现有电网兼容的恒频电力。该项目旨在利用未开发的潮汐能资源，使能源结构多样化，从而加强能源安全。项目中的学术、工业和商业伙伴关系将促进知识共享，利用互补能力，并分担与技术开发和商业化相关的风险和成本。这种合作将促进技术进步，降低成本，协调政策权衡，并鼓励公司投资和参与这一领域。该项目的可持续创业培训将支持参与者的整个创业和领导旅程，展示他们对长期成功的真正奉献，并增加海洋能源行业未来的劳动力。拟议的项目将对无级变速器（IVT）技术进行应用启发式研究，以解决tcec的技术经济障碍，从而平衡经济、技术和环境限制。具有IVT的TCECs可以利用低潮流速度的潮汐能量，美国可以用于潮汐能量收集的海域可以从2%增加到70%。该项目将解决IVT商业化过程中生态问题的一些主要技术障碍，操作和维护，以及真正的水测试，这是TCECs创新者从小型原型到全尺寸原型之间的差距的主要瓶颈。该项目将(a)通过纳入不确定性和可变性以及寿命终了管理，使技术和商业技术的环境影响评价和能源消耗的生命周期评估方面的研究工作协同增效，以减少这些限制因素对技术和商业技术的经济和生态方面的影响；(b)为自动驾驶汽车发展一套以情况为基础的预测性维修监测系统，结合油况监测和其他诊断参数，及早发现故障；以及(c)通过增加IVT的尺寸和容量，为扩大规模的TCEC进行浮动船测试，以达到商业规模的部署。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation - Technology Translation (PFI-TT) project is in technically and commercially developing a transformative solution for tidal current energy converters (TCECs). The proposed technology has improved efficiency, minimal output speed variation, low-maintenance requirements, increased durability, and scalability through a wide range of sizes. It will lower the cut-in speed of a TCEC to low tidal current speeds and break tidal current energy harvesting technology limits. The TCECs will use the developed constant-speed generator system to generate constant-frequency power that is compatible with existing electric grid. This project aims to enhance energy security by diversifying the energy mix with untapped tidal current energy resource. Academic, industrial, and commercial partnership in the project will foster knowledge sharing, leveraging complementary capabilities, and sharing risks and costs associated with technology development and commercialization. This collaboration will technological advancements, reduce costs, reconcile policy trade-offs, and encourage companies to invest and engage in this sector. Sustainable entrepreneurship training in the project will support participants throughout their entrepreneurial and leadership journeys, demonstrating a genuine dedication to their long-term success and increasing the future workforce in the marine energy industry.The proposed project will conduct use-inspired research on the infinitely variable transmission (IVT) technology to address techno-economic hurdles for TCECs, which can balance economic, technical, and environmental constraints. TCECs with the IVT can harness tidal current energy with low tidal current speeds, and the U.S. sea regions that can be used for tidal current energy harvesting can be increased from 2% to 70%. The project will address some major technical hurdles on ecological issues in the commercialization process of the IVT, operation and maintenance, and real water testing which is a major bottleneck for innovators of TCECs to bridge the gap from small- to full-scale prototypes. The project will (a) synergize research efforts on life cycle assessment for environmental impact evaluation and energy consumption of TCECs via incorporation of uncertainties and variability and end-of-life management to reduce the effect of these constraints on both economic and ecological aspects of TCECs; (b) develop a condition-based predictive maintenance monitoring system for the IVT by incorporating oil condition monitoring and other diagnostic parameters to detect early faults; and (c) conduct floating vessel testing for a scale-up TCEC with the IVT by increasing the size and capacity of the IVT to reach commercial-scale deployment.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.