SBIR Phase II: PAX Rotor Optimization for Flexible Micro-Hydro

这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）二期项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是努力将我们的仿生转子设计带入海洋水动力（MHK）市场。MHK能源是一种社会和环境友好的水力发电替代品，它利用河流、潮汐、洋流和人造水道的能源，而不使用水坝。这一市场潜力巨大，但由于技术成本高、对涡轮机生存能力的担忧、对鱼类的友好性以及部署的难度，这一市场仍处于萌芽阶段。我们的转子的小，灵活的配置是一种独特的方法，解决了许多MHK挑战与达到最大的个人目前的能源技术服务不足的使命。我们的转子旨在通过为任何个人或社区提供负担得起的基本负荷清洁能源解决方案来取代柴油发电和补充间歇性可再生能源；目标是通过利用可伸缩转子设计扩展到更大的部署。这个研发项目将通过开发一种灵活的微水力解决方案来扩展快速兴起的仿生学领域的知识体系，该解决方案允许流体以自然首选的方式在转子表面上移动，从而使流动的水产生能量。该项目将把我们有前途的专有转子设计转化为优化的MHK涡轮机，作为灵活的微型水电系统的关键组成部分，解决MHK市场面临的许多挑战。转子是基于仿生学和设计流线发现在移动的水体与深剖面，以最大限度地从低速流动的动力传输。具有后退边缘的对数设计导致涡轮机避免了碎片和海洋生物的破坏性影响。该设计在可变流量条件下是稳定的，这使得发电机和电力电子设备都可以灵活地安装在水面上，从而提高了经济性。在项目期间，计算流体动力学建模将用于模拟设计变化和驱动性能改进。最有希望的设计将原型化，并与多个发电机和缆绳组合集成，以确定最有效的灵活电力起飞系统。12V电池充电的功率输出转换也将进行测试和优化，从而形成完整的功率转换链。旋翼和系统的性能将在当地和华盛顿大学进行全面测试。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is in the effort to bring our biomimetic rotor design to the marine hydrokinetic (MHK) market. MHK energy is a socially and environmentally friendly alternative to hydroelectric power, which harnesses energy from rivers, tides, ocean currents and manmade waterways without the use of a dam. This market is potentially large but still nascent due to high technology costs, concerns over turbine survivability, fish friendliness, and difficulty in permitting deployments. Our rotor's small, flexible configuration is a unique approach that addresses many MHK challenges with the mission of reaching the largest set of individuals underserved by current energy technologies. Our rotor seeks to displace diesel generation and complement intermittent renewable energy sources by providing an affordable, baseload clean energy solution for any individual or community; with the objective of scaling up to larger deployments by leveraging the scalable rotor design. This R&D Project will expand the body of knowledge for the rapidly emerging field of biomimicry by developing a flexible micro-hydro solution that enables energy generation from flowing water by allowing fluids to move over the surfaces of the rotor in their naturally preferred way. This project will transform our promising proprietary rotor design into an optimized MHK turbine to be incorporated as the key component of a flexible micro-hydro system that addresses many of the challenges faced by the MHK market. The rotor is based on biomimicry and was designed using streamlines found in moving bodies of water with a deep profile to maximize the power transfer from low speed flows. The logarithmic design with receding edges results in a turbine that avoids damaging impacts with debris and marine life. The design is stable in variable flow conditions, which allows for a flexible power takeoff configuration with both the generator and power electronics housed above the water for improved affordability. During the project, computational fluid dynamic modeling will be used to simulate design changes and drive performance improvements. The most promising designs will be prototyped and integrated with multiple generator and tether combinations to determine the most efficient flexible power takeoff system. Conversion to power output for 12V battery charging will also be tested and optimized resulting in a complete power conversion chain. The performance of the rotor and system will be characterized by full scale testing locally and with The University of Washington.