Small-scale tidal turbine

The small-scale tidal turbine runs at variable speed and can be fitted with a microcontroller for blade load measurements and control studies.

The small-scale tidal turbine complements the wind tunnel test facilities at the Whittle Laboratory, in that it allows products developed at the lab to be tested in water. Over the past three years, the turbine has been used at Ifremer in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France, to test two types of technology: blade load alleviation mechanisms, and high-load blade designs. The turbine speed can be controlled from the surface, and torque and thrust sensors in the body allow accurate performance measurements to be made under steady and unsteady load conditions. A unique feature of this turbine is the wireless communication between the rotating blades and the stationary nacelle. This allows blade load alleviation devices to be controlled in response to torque and thrust measurements, as well as giving the potential for real-time blade measurements in future.

Figure 1: Turbine under test in the flume tank at Ifremer, Boulogne-sur-Mer, France

The design of the turbine is such that the blades can be changed with ease, allowing for rapid testing of different geometries. The hub-mounted actuation system has also been designed with flexibility in mind, such that mechanisms can be controlled via rotary or linear motion.