Idénergie develops the first domestic hydrokinetic turbine for rivers. Itaims at producing about 100W in a 1.4m/s river to power up remote locations.Idénergie’s turbine has two main advantages: a completely watertight shaftlessgenerator and an integrated smart converter. The first turbines are planned tobe sold in June 2014.To be able to test the embedded intelligence in the lab, Idénergie’s testbench must be able to reproduce river conditions. Measurements have beenperformed in a river and provide the torque developed by the river at differentspeeds. On the test bench controlled by a LabView program, the rotationalspeed is measured and the corresponding torque computed. This torque is setas the new command and makes the test bench behave as if it was driven by aturbine in a river.Idénergie’s generator contains a rotor made of permanent magnets.These magnets are provided by a supplier and their quality needs to bechecked. For this purpose, a magnetometer is designed and built. It contains 5Hall effect sensors which move at a constant speed above a magnet andmeasure its magnetic field. The magnetometer is able to compare magnets to areference and to detect the faulty ones. The sensors are also used to measurethe magnetic field of the rotor and show that the custom-made shape of themagnets has no influence on the sinusoidal field.The converter transforms the three-phase current to direct current andcontrols the rotational speed. This is done thanks to an embedded electroniccard, which is about to be working properly. The Maximum Power PointTracking algorithm ensures that the rotational speed is optimum in order toproduce the maximum power output. The code loaded on this card is written inits main part but needs to be tested on the test bench once the card will beoperational.

Many people around the world still lack access to a reliable electricity grid. Supplying electricity to remote off grid areas like villages around Leticia, Colombia is often interrelated with high costs and geographical limitations. Today most of the electricity demand is met through the usage of diesel generators. The generators are easy to use and have a relatively reliable functionality. However, fuel is expensive and there are other negative aspects as fumes and sound pollution. In order to provide a cleaner, more reliable and cost efficient alternative the company Jabe Energy AB has in cooperation with the volunteer organization Ankarstiftelsen developed a new type of hydrokinetic turbine (slow moving none damming turbine). Previous studies have shown that there is potential for hydrokinetic turbines to increase their power output simply by their relative placement (coupling potential). That is, it might be possible to extrude more power from a system where two hydrokinetic turbines are placed in a close relation rather than being completely separated. Since the turbine investigated is newly developed there have been no previous studies regarding its specific coupling potential. To investigate this potential given the conditions in the Amazon basin, a field study is conducted where measurements on water velocity at different heights in the water column is collected. The data is later used as input conditions for a turbine model developed in the program COMSOL. The aim is to use simulations in order to determine whether a turbine is sensitive for its relative placement to a former (coupling potential) and furthermore to investigate a possible optimal turbine coupling position. The results will show that the turbine is coupling sensitive and that there exists more advantageous placements. Comparing the best and worst case of the coupling study displays an 11.87% difference in possible energy output. The conclusion is that further empirical studies are necessary in order to validate the results. Finally a suggestion on how these studies should be conducted is presented and discussed.

Electricity has been proved to be a crucial factor to achieve an economic and social development in emergent countries and is seen as a necessity to deplete the world’s poverty. As energy resources are getting scarce, a higher implementation of renewable electricity generation, such as hydropower, is a necessity. Hydrokinetic turbines, which use slow flowing water as a source of energy, are to be installed in the Amazonas River in Colombia. The Amazon River has high amount of sediment and flowing objects due to the large quantity of vegetation in the area. This leaves the turbine exposed to a higher degree of erosion on the blades and a higher risk of getting clogged. The efficiency will decrease and the turbine will have an impending risk of getting damaged. By adapting the hydrokinetic turbine for the conditions prevailing in the Amazon basin, the efficiency can be improved and a longer lifetime for the turbine is given. A field study was conducted to attain the velocity and amount of sediment in the Amazon River through measurements. The collected data was analyzed and used as input values during simulations of a turbine model by the Computational Fluid Dynamics program COMSOL. Areas on the turbine exposed to the water with a high velocity, and containing a high concentration of sediment, were examined and proposals for protection were given. Also the necessity and consequences of installing a protective grate in front of the turbine were investigated. The turbine will be exposed to almost a factor of 12 000 higher erosive wear in the Amazon River than in Swedish water as of the higher amount of sediment. The investigation states that areas on the tip of the blade’s rear side and the area close to the rotating center are most exposed to erosion and will be in need of protection in form of a harder surface. A grate will be necessary to provide a longer lifetime for the turbine, but will result in a decreased power output from the turbine by up to 46 %. / Elektricitet har bevisats vara en viktig komponent för en ekonomisk och social utveckling i utvecklingsländer och ses därför som en nödvändighet för att minska fattigdomen i världen. Energikällorna är dock hårt utnyttjade och en högre andel förnyelsebar elektrisk generering, genom bland annat vattenkraft, är en nödvändighet. Hydrokinetiska turbiner, vilka producerar el på långsamt flödande vatten, ska implementeras i Amazonfloden i Colombia. Amazonfloden har en hög andel sediment samt flytande objekt i floden på grund av den höga andel vegetation i området. Detta ger en ökad erosion på bladen samt risk för igentäppning av turbinen efter implementering. En lägre effektivitet samt hög risk för skada på turbinerna erhålls. Genom att adaptera den hydrokinetiska turbinen för förhållanden som råder i Amazonasfloden kan verkningsgraden förbättras och en längre livslängd på turbinen kan erhållas. En fältstudie utfördes där mätningar över vattenhastigheter, mängd sediment samt större objekt i floden genomfördes och analyserades. Data användes sedan som indata vid simuleringar över en uppbyggd modell av turbinen i Computational Fluid Dynamics-programmet COMSOL Multiphysics. Områden på turbinen utsatta för sedimentfullt vatten med en högre hastighet undersöktes och skyddsåtgärder föreslogs. Även behovet av ett skyddande galler framför turbinen granskades. Det visades att turbinen kommer utsättas för nästintill en faktor på 12 000 högre erosion i Amazonasfloden jämfört med i svenska vatten. Undersökningen visar att yttersta delarna av bladets baksida samt ett område nära det roterande centret är i behov av ett extra skydd i form av en hårdare yta. Ett galler kan bli nödvändigt för att uppnå en längre livstid för turbinen, men resulterar i en sänkt elproduktion med upp till 46 %.

Den här rapporten är ett resultat av ett examensarbete i ämnet maskinteknik med inriktning bistånd genomfört vårterminen 2010. Arbetet är ett samarbete med den svenska organisationen Ankarstiftelsen, som har bistått studenterna med kontakter i Leticia, Colombia. Arbetet har varit förlagt dels i Sverige och dels i Leticia, Colombia och har bestått av en förstudie i Leticia samt en litteraturstudie. Målet med arbetet har varit att ta fram ett förslag på lämplig placering och val av turbinsystem, utifrån de förutsättningar som finns i området. Rapporten presenterar olika metoder för elproduktion i Amazonasregionen, turbinsystem anpassade för strömmandevattenkraft och resultat från förstudien. Rapporten presenterar ett förslag där en turbin av modellen Darrieus installeras på en ponton vid samhället Milagrosa. Turbinen beräknas i dagsläget täcka det elbehov som finns i samhället. Dock kvarstår finansieringsfrågan. / This report is the result of a thesis project in mechanical engineering with focus on development assistance, completed spring term 2010. The work is collaboration with the Swedish organization Ankarstiftelsen, which has assisted the students with contacts in Leticia, Columbia. The work has been taken place in both Sweden and Leticia, Colombia. A literature review was carried out in Sweden and a pilot study in Leticia. The goal of this work has been to develop a suggestion on a proper placement and selection of turbine systems, based on the parameters that have been encountered. The report presents various methods of electricity production in the Amazon region, turbine systems suitable for hydrokinetic power and the results from the pilot study. The report presents a suggestion where a Darrieus turbine is installed on a pontoon close to the community Milagrosa. The turbine is expected in the current situation to cover the electricity needs of the community. However, the funding issue still remains to be solved.

<p>Den här rapporten är ett resultat av ett examensarbete i ämnet maskinteknik med inriktning bistånd genomfört vårterminen 2010. Arbetet är ett samarbete med den svenska organisationen Ankarstiftelsen, som har bistått studenterna med kontakter i Leticia, Colombia.</p><p>Arbetet har varit förlagt dels i Sverige och dels i Leticia, Colombia och har bestått av en förstudie i Leticia samt en litteraturstudie. Målet med arbetet har varit att ta fram ett förslag på lämplig placering och val av turbinsystem, utifrån de förutsättningar som finns i området.</p><p>Rapporten presenterar olika metoder för elproduktion i Amazonasregionen, turbinsystem anpassade för strömmandevattenkraft och resultat från förstudien.</p><p>Rapporten presenterar ett förslag där en turbin av modellen Darrieus installeras på en ponton vid samhället Milagrosa. Turbinen beräknas i dagsläget täcka det elbehov som finns i samhället. Dock kvarstår finansieringsfrågan.</p> / <p>This report is the result of a thesis project in mechanical engineering with focus on development assistance, completed spring term 2010. The work is collaboration with the Swedish organization Ankarstiftelsen, which has assisted the students with contacts in Leticia, Columbia.</p><p>The work has been taken place in both Sweden and Leticia, Colombia. A literature review was carried out in Sweden and a pilot study in Leticia. The goal of this work has been to develop a suggestion on a proper placement and selection of turbine systems, based on the parameters that have been encountered.</p><p>The report presents various methods of electricity production in the Amazon region, turbine systems suitable for hydrokinetic power and the results from the pilot study.</p><p>The report presents a suggestion where a Darrieus turbine is installed on a pontoon close to the community Milagrosa. The turbine is expected in the current situation to cover the electricity needs of the community. However, the funding issue still remains to be solved.</p>

This thesis addresses the optimization and design of turbine and propeller blades through the use of a lifting line model. An existing turbine optimization methodology has been modified to include viscous terms, non-linear terms, and a hub model. The method is also adapted to the optimization of propellers. Two types of trailing wake geometries are considered: one based on helical wakes which are aligned at the blade (using the so-called "moderately loaded propeller'' assumption), and a second one based on a full wake alignment model in order to represent more accurately the wake geometry and its effect on the efficiency of the rotor. A comparison of the efficiencies and the loading distributions obtained through the present methods is presented, as well as convergence and numerical accuracy studies, and comparisons with existing analytical results. In the case of turbines, various types of constraints are imposed in the optimization method in order to avoid abrupt changes in the designed blade shape. The effect of the constraints on the efficiency of the turbines is studied. Once the optimum loading has been determined, the blade geometry is generated for given chord, thickness and camber distributions. Finally, a low-order potential-based boundary element method and a vortex-lattice method are used to verify the efficiency of the designed turbines. / text

This thesis introduces a power electronic interface for a kinetic hydropower generation platform that enables extraction of electric power from a free-flowing water source such as a river or a stream. The implemented system transfers power from a high-frequency permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) to a 60-Hz load. Special configurations and control techniques were developed to cater for the long distance between the generator and the power interface; and also to address the wide range of the PMSG frequency and voltage variations. The proposed power-electronic interface was constructed and tested in the laboratory as well as in the field. The thesis also introduces two feasible methods for controlling a hydrokinetic plant to supply islanded loads or to deliver the maximum power available from the turbine-generator to the utility network. Application of multiple turbines in a kinetic farm was also investigated, and different approaches to controlling hydrokinetic turbines were developed.

A resource assessment of the hydrokinetic potential in Canada's rivers was completed. The main objectives of the study were to (1) quantify the potential hydrokinetic energy avail- able for development both nationally and regionally, and (2) develop geospatial datasets identifying streams or areas of high hydrokinetic potential. Flow estimates at ungauged locations were found using multiple linear regression coupled with Canonical correlation analysis (MLR-CCA). Total theoretical hydro power, equivalent to total theoretical hydroki- netic power was calculated using these ow estimates and hydraulic head estimates from DEMs. It is estimated that there are 710 GW of potential power in Canadian rivers, with 97.5% con dence that there is at least 433 GW. Downstream hydraulic geometry (DHG) relations were applied to ow estimates to nd cross section velocity and power at ungauged locations. Further testing was done on DHG relations, and were found to be most accurate when characterized by soil drainage characteristics.

This thesis introduces a power electronic interface for a kinetic hydropower generation platform that enables extraction of electric power from a free-flowing water source such as a river or a stream. The implemented system transfers power from a high-frequency permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) to a 60-Hz load. Special configurations and control techniques were developed to cater for the long distance between the generator and the power interface; and also to address the wide range of the PMSG frequency and voltage variations. The proposed power-electronic interface was constructed and tested in the laboratory as well as in the field. The thesis also introduces two feasible methods for controlling a hydrokinetic plant to supply islanded loads or to deliver the maximum power available from the turbine-generator to the utility network. Application of multiple turbines in a kinetic farm was also investigated, and different approaches to controlling hydrokinetic turbines were developed.

A resource assessment of the hydrokinetic potential in Canada's rivers was completed. The main objectives of the study were to (1) quantify the potential hydrokinetic energy avail- able for development both nationally and regionally, and (2) develop geospatial datasets identifying streams or areas of high hydrokinetic potential. Flow estimates at ungauged locations were found using multiple linear regression coupled with Canonical correlation analysis (MLR-CCA). Total theoretical hydro power, equivalent to total theoretical hydroki- netic power was calculated using these ow estimates and hydraulic head estimates from DEMs. It is estimated that there are 710 GW of potential power in Canadian rivers, with 97.5% con dence that there is at least 433 GW. Downstream hydraulic geometry (DHG) relations were applied to ow estimates to nd cross section velocity and power at ungauged locations. Further testing was done on DHG relations, and were found to be most accurate when characterized by soil drainage characteristics.