Institute For Reactor Safety And Technology
Univ.-Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Hans-Josef Allelein
Hydrokinetic & Solar energy
contribution to a reliable energy supply
Concept
Potential
Next steps
David NORTA, Jürgen SACHAU, H.-J. ALLELEIN
Motivation
E-Mail: david.norta@uni.lu / norta@LRST.rwth-aachen.de Address: Kackertstrasse 9, 52072 Aachen, Germany Phone: +352 4666445762 www.LRST.rwth-aachen.de
The increasing share of renewable resources in the European electricity system leads to instabilities of the whole system due to fluctuating renewable power outputs.
Furthermore new lines have to be build to distribute the unevenly distributed generation. Decentralized controllable micro generation can be used to damp these effects.
In our study we consider a controllable hydrokinetic micro turbine, based on an oscillating hydrofoil which extracts kinetic energy from a rivers current.
The advantages:
- Controllable power output over each period.
- Simple combination with other Renewable sources (solar, wind).
- Improved concept with adaptable operation depth of the foils.
- Predictable power output, due to slowly alternating rivers speed.
- Low impact on the nature, since device is connected to removable raft in a river.
- Due to slow motion of the foil not harming the aquatic life.
- Easily removable in case of flooding.
- Simple maintenance.
- Needs relatively small rivers (min 3m width).
=
~ M
=
~ M
~
=
The system can be used decentralized to supply the electricity consumption of private households in the low kW range
Sample household in Luxembourg
Consumption for the 11th of December, taken for summer and winter (average 2,015kW)
Sizes
Solar PV 2,6 KW
Hydro Gemünd-Location (flow speed 1,8-2,4m/s) 2x foil 1m length moving 1m (0,55-1,42 kW)
Summer (average) Need 2,015 kW PV 1,053kW
Hydro needed 0,962kW (2 systems needed)
Winter (average) Need 2,015 kW PV 0,052kW
Hydro needed 1,963kW (0,877 kW feed in)
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500
7:10AM 7:30AM 7:50AM 8:10AM 8:30AM 8:50AM 9:10AM 9:30AM 9:50AM 10:10AM 10:30AM 10:50AM 11:10AM 11:30AM 11:50AM 12:10PM 12:30PM 12:50PM 1:10PM 1:30PM 1:50PM 2:10PM 2:30PM 2:50PM 3:10PM 3:30PM 3:50PM 4:10PM 4:30PM 4:50PM 5:10PM 5:30PM 5:50PM 6:10PM 6:30PM 6:50PM 7:10PM 7:30PM 7:50PM 8:10PM
Solar PV (2,6kW peak) summer (yellow) and winter (blue) generation (period 7:10-20:20).
Need of Hydropower (2 systems 1,42 kW average / 5,5 kW peak) summer (yellow) and winter
(blue) generation (period 7:10-20:20).
Flow
direction
Top view
Generator
Guide rail gearwheels
Pontoon Pontoon
chains
Electrical concept of solar and hydro combination.
Mechanical concept of the hydro Turbine.
Watt Watt
1 2
3 4
NetPower DemoLab Université du Luxembourg.
ANSYS Fluent simulation of the tandem Hydrofoil (Université Laval).
Field test at the locations of the SEO. Potential of the turbine for all suitable Luxembourgish rivers using PLEXOS.
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000
7:10AM 7:30AM 7:50AM 8:10AM 8:30AM 8:50AM 9:10AM 9:30AM 9:50AM 10:10AM 10:30AM 10:50AM 11:10AM 11:30AM 11:50AM 12:10PM 12:30PM 12:50PM 1:10PM 1:30PM 1:50PM 2:10PM 2:30PM 2:50PM 3:10PM 3:30PM 3:50PM 4:10PM 4:30PM 4:50PM 5:10PM 5:30PM 5:50PM 6:10PM 6:30PM 6:50PM 7:10PM 7:30PM 7:50PM 8:10PM
