Hydrokinetic energy is an emerging class of renewable energy that harnesses the kinetic energy of moving water. Distinct from conventional hydroelectric technology, which requires large dams or reservoirs to create significantly high water head to drive the turbine; hydrokinetic technology can be deployed in rivers, streams, or constructed waterways with very low hydraulic head. This characteristic significantly increases the number of potential installation sites and applications possible with hydrokinetic technology. On the other hand, hydrokinetic energy has the advantages of high energy density, very good predictability over other types of renewable energy. This paper reviews the current state of hydrokinetic technology for riverine applications. The hydrokinetic energy theory is reviewed first, with practical examples to illustrate real-world physical meaning of mathematical formulae. Next, maximum power point tracking, turbine’s duct effect are reviewed. Finally, the two most popular categories of hydrokinetic turbines are discussed in detail with focus on advantages, drawbacks and preferable applications. This slide is final presentation of my paper: https://www.academia.edu/6494988/A_Review_of_Hydrokinetic_Technology

1. Riverine Hydrokinetic
Technology: A Review
Student: Long Pham
Mar. 2014
CLASS REE516: ENERGY ENGINEERING II

2. • An emerging class of renewable
energy that harnesses the kinetic
energy of moving water
• Traditional hydroelectric requires
large dams/reservoirs to create
significantly high water head
• Hydrokinetic Technology can be
installed in any rivers, streams,
waterway with very low water head
What is it?
Sir Adam Beck Hydroelectric Generating Stations.
Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
Source: Ontario Power Generation
Source: New Energy Inc. website: http://www.newenergycorp.ca

3. • Water movements occurs naturally all over the
planet: Ocean waves, tidal currents, rivers,
streams, etc. The mid-west region of the United
States alone has more than 6000 miles of rivers.
Most of them remain untapped for electricity
generation. Water movements are highly
predictable and usually located right where we
need them
• Hydrokinetic technology allows us to harness the
energy from all kinds of water movements.
Without building large dams / reservoirs that
may alter the river systems, occupy the
surrounding land and challenge the local wildlife.
• Add 13,000 MW of new generation capacity to
the United State by 2025 (from EPRI [1])
Why it is so interesting?
Source: http://vdinh.weebly.com/unit-8-ecology.html
Source: New Energy Inc. website: http://www.newenergycorp.ca

4. • Single person portable, rapidly deployable
electrical power generation for front line
and disaster relief forces
• Able to generate 600W of continuous
power over the widest range of operating
conditions to power basic encampment
equipment: computing devices, targeting
systems, communication devices, etc.
• Can be setup in arrays to achieve power
output 20kW,
• Bottom mounted to make it totally
invisible.
• A supplement to the U.S. Marines’
Ground Renewable Expeditionary Energy
System (GREENS) - a 300 W photovoltaic
battery system.
Attractive Applications
Bourne Energy’s Militarized Backpack Power Plant. Source: Bourne Energy www.bourneenergy.com

5. Attractive Applications
Photo courtesy of D.Light Design Inc. (www.dlightdesign.com)

6. Attractive Applications
Sir Adam Beck Hydroelectric Generating Stations.
Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
Source: Ontario Power Generation
The stations divert water from the
Niagara and Welland Rivers above
Niagara Falls which produce up to
1,997 MW capacity
Inspiration from: Integrated coal
gasification combined-cycle
technology (IGCC)
“Install hydrokinetic turbines
behind large dams to establish
combine-cycle hydroelectric
power systems to harvest
additional power in the magnitude
of MWs from the energy
remaining in the water discharging
from dams” [2]

7. •
Turbines’ ducted effect
31
2
capture p theory p
P C P C Av 
Duct effects on fluid flow a) Non-ducted, b) Ducted,
c) Computational fluid dynamic simulation [11].

8. • Turbines suitable for these very low head applications are different
from those used in conventional hydroelectric plants, like the Francis,
propeller, Kaplan, or Pelton turbines
• In recent years, various concepts have been developed to harvest the
energy of free-flowing water. However, methods employing a rotational
turbine are more economically feasible for real-world deployments and
commercialization.
• Similar to wind turbines, there are many different hydrokinetic turbine
designs. They are broadly grouped into two categories based on the
orientation of the axis of rotation
Classification of Hydrokinetic turbines

9. • Turbines having the rotational axis parallel or
inclined to the flowing direction of water
• Feature rotors that resemble aircraft propellers
• Lifting force
• Advantages:
▫ Higher efficiency than cross flow turbines.
▫ No torque ripple, self-start capable
• Disadvantages:
▫ Higher manufacturing and transportation cost
 requirements for water sealed components
 the airfoil shape of the blades
 blade size usually big
▫ Disk shape of the rotor:
 Difficult for turbines to be stacked together
 In small, narrow rivers
Axial Flow Hydrokinetic Turbine

10. • Turbines having the rotational axis perpendicular to the
incoming water current
• Two basic types of vertical axis turbine designs: based on
Darrieus design (Fig. 6 a, b, c, d) and based on Savonius
design (Fig. 6e).
• Darrieus: Lifting force; Savonius: dragging force
• Advantages:
▫ Cylindrical rotor shape:
 Make use of space more efficiently
 Low cost duct augmentation
 Suitable for small, shallow rivers: diameter bigger than
depth which allows them to sweep a bigger area in shallow
river streams, increasing the possible power production
per turbine
▫ Lower manufacturing, transportation and maintenance:
 Don’t need expensive hydrofoil shape blades
 Smaller and simpler parts
 Generator can be placed from above the water surface
with direct connection to the rotor .
• Drawbacks: Torque ripple, inability to self-start, and lower
efficiency
Cross Flow Hydrokinetic Turbine

11. • Hydrokinetic energy is highly predictable
• Hydrokinetic resources are abundant, untapped, and located close to population
• Hydrokinetic technology is environmental friendly
• Same drawback as other renewable technologies: low efficiency
• In all of the hydrokinetic Research Development & Demonstrations (RD&D) found in the
literature, the electrical and control design are simplistic and error prone, which
significantly reduces the overall stability and efficiency of hydrokinetic turbines.
• A low cost, high efficiency, sensorless power electronics converter could be of significant
interest to the emerging hydrokinetic technology, especially the small-scale deployments of
this technology
Conclusion

12. Reference

13. Thank you!