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Recent Trends in Fluid Mechanics Review Article

A Novel and Efficient Transmission System for Harnessing Hydrokinetic Power from Ocean Currents

  1. Sheeja Janardhanan School of Naval Architecture & Ocean Engineering, Indian Maritime University
  2. Vidya Chandran Department of Mechanical Engineering, SCMS School of Engineering and Technology, Ernakulam
  3. Gijo George Netticadan Department of Mechanical Engineering, SCMS School of Engineering and Technology, Ernakulam
  4. Ajay S Kumar Department of Mechanical Engineering, SCMS School of Engineering and Technology, Ernakulam
  5. Anand Rajeev Department of Mechanical Engineering, SCMS School of Engineering and Technology, Ernakulam
  6. Ashwin T Department of Mechanical Engineering, SCMS School of Engineering and Technology, Ernakulam

Abstract

This paper presents the design principles of a novel power transmission system for an indigenous device known as a “Hydro Vortex Power Generator” that harnesses the power of vortices from low-velocity streams of water. The flow-induced motions of an elastically mounted cylinder that is free to oscillate in the crossflow direction are converted to electricity by the power generator. To convert the oscillations with non-uniform amplitude and frequency to uniform rotations a novel transmission system is designed and modelled. A ratchet-integrated gear mechanism is incorporated to convert the bidirectional rotations to unidirectional. Power output from a single-cylinder module of the power generator using the novel transmission system is estimated in this paper. The work also quantifies various efficiencies of the system. A complete mathematical model of the transmission system is presented in this paper, through which the transmission efficiency is estimated to be 78.7%. A computer-aided design model with design specifications of each component of the transmission device is also presented. Based on the model, the transmission system is fabricated and tested for its efficiency on a standalone generator module. The overall efficiency of the power generator with the novel transmission system was observed to be 60.2% for an output power of 19. 8 W. The model developed is scalable and can be deployed in irrigation canals, rivers, and streams for harnessing clean power

Keywords

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