Hydrodynamic optimization of PowerCone technology for tidal energy applications

用于潮汐能应用的 PowerCone 技术的水动力优化

• 批准号: 571033-2021
• 负责人: Jeans, Tiger
• 金额: $ 2.91万
• 依托单位: University of New Brunswick
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Alliance Grants
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2021-01-01 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=728996
• 关键词: Hydrodynamic; optimization; PowerCone; technology; tidal

Ocean renewable energy in the form of tides, waves, and offshore wind is one of the most abundant, but relatively untapped, renewable energy sources available. Specifically for tidal energy, recent interest has focused on the development of in-stream energy converters that transform kinetic energy from fast-flowing tidal steams to electricity. In Canada, 190 potential sites have been identified with sufficient power to meet the annual electricity needs of 30.6 million. Minas Passage, located in the Bay of Fundy, is considered one of the world's best tidal energy sites and it has been estimated that this single site could provide sufficient electricity to power 1.4 million Canadian households. With such potential, it is surprising no grid-connected turbines are currently operating in Minas Passage. This is due to the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE), which is high in comparison to other renewable sources because turbines must operate in a harsh energetic, turbulent environment. By mimicking nature, Biome Renewables developed a retrofit to existing wind turbine rotors that achieves superior aerodynamic performance. This resulted in a new unofficial world record for full-scale wind turbine efficiency in June 2021 of 52%. The primary objective of the project is to advance this technology for in-stream tidal applications, while simultaneously improving our understanding of tidal turbine performance in realistic ocean environments. This will be achieved using state-of-the-art high-performance computing and hydrodynamic shape optimization. Thereby, reducing the LCOE and increasing turbine reliability, the key barriers to widespread adoption by utility providers. Based on recent cost reductions, future projected costs at 100 MW and 1 GW of installed in-stream tidal are $0.26 and $0.115 per kWh, respectively. This will be achieved through innovation and economies of scale, using scientific evidence gained from research projects such as this one. A 300 MW commercial-scale capacity in Nova Scotia would result in $1.7 billion of GDP, approximately 22,000 full-time equivalent jobs.

海洋可再生能源以潮汐、波浪和海上风能的形式存在，是最丰富但相对未开发的可再生能源之一。特别是对于潮汐能，最近的兴趣集中在将动能从快速流动的潮汐蒸汽转化为电能的流内能量转换器的开发上。在加拿大，已确定190个潜在地点有足够的电力满足每年3060万的电力需求。位于芬迪湾的米纳斯通道被认为是世界上最好的潮汐能站点之一，据估计，这个站点可以为140万加拿大家庭提供足够的电力。有了这样的潜力，令人惊讶的是，目前没有并网涡轮机在米纳斯海峡运行。这是由于电力平准化成本（LCOE），与其他可再生能源相比，这是高的，因为涡轮机必须在严酷的能量，动荡的环境中运行。通过模仿自然，Biome可再生能源公司对现有的风力涡轮机转子进行了改造，实现了卓越的空气动力学性能。这导致了2021年6月52%的全尺寸风力涡轮机效率创下了新的非官方世界纪录。该项目的主要目标是推进该技术在流内潮汐应用，同时提高我们对潮汐涡轮机在现实海洋环境中的性能的理解。这将使用最先进的高性能计算和流体动力学形状优化来实现。因此，降低LCOE和提高涡轮机可靠性是公用事业供应商广泛采用的主要障碍。根据最近的成本削减，未来100兆瓦和1吉瓦的潮汐发电预计成本分别为每千瓦时0.26美元和0.115美元。这将通过创新和规模经济来实现，利用从这类研究项目中获得的科学证据。在新斯科舍省，300兆瓦的商业规模容量将带来17亿美元的GDP，大约22,000个全职工作岗位。