A Demonstration Study on a Floating Type Pitch-Controlled VAMT in Consideration of Seawater and Biofouling

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26289340
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Naval and maritime engineering
• Research Institution: Nihon University
• Principal Investigator: IKOMA Tomoki 日本大学, 理工学部, 教授 (50302625)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 二瓶 泰範 大阪府立大学, 工学(系)研究科(研究院), 准教授 (00470055)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): MASUDA Koichi 日本大学, 理工学部, 特任教授 (10120552) ; OTSUKA Fumikazu 日本大学, 理工学部, 准教授 (60513984) ; RHEEM Chan-Kyu 東京大学, 生産技術研究所, 教授 (70272515) ; ETO Hiroaki 日本大学, 理工学部, 准教授 (90360510)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 潮流発電 / 垂直軸水車 / 可変ピッチ / 浮体 / 実海域実験 / 高効率 / 波浪影響

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study conducted towing tests using a fishing boat at actual seas in order to clarify turbine performance of VAMT with pitch-controlled straight blades for tidal power generation. Two of floating type VAMT models including completely new one were manufactured. From the towing tests, we obtained that introduction of pitch-control with cyclic mechanism into VAMT in order to improve turbine performance very much. The results of towing tests suggested that it would be necessary to take into account of variation of fluid velocity because of ocean waves when we evaluate electrical power generation because rotation and output power of the turbines were sensitively affected by the variation. The net-efficiency of the first turbine of this study was recorded with 20% from laboratory tests. The second one which had diameter of 1.0m showed only 6% in maximum net-efficiency from the sea test. However, the results of the sea test suggested that the turbine with 1.0m diameter had surplus power.

Free Research Field

船舶海洋工学