Ocean Current Energy Climate Change Task Force meeting

Camille Coley, JD Associate Director and Assistant VP for Research

August 15, 2013 http://snmrec.fau.edu

National Marine Renewable Energy Centers

• Ocean Current• OTEC• Sue Skemp, Exec.

Director

• Wave• Belinda

Batten, Director

• Tidal Current• Brian Polagye,

co-Director

• Wave• OTEC• Rick Rocheleau, Director

Working together to enable the MHK industry

Research Context

Achieving MHK is a complex system-of-systems

SNMREC Treatment: Technological/Environmental

Systems: Many research projects

Social Systems: Staff effort on lease acquisition, education & outreach

The two-way effects—interactions—have received considerable attention.

Small-scale Offshore Testing

Surface-deployed without power transmission to shore

Capable of testing 1/10 – 1/4 scale

systems up to 100kW or 7m diameter demonstration turbines

ADCP

MTB

OCT

ADV

Phase I

DOW 260 m

Regulatory Framework

BOEM Lease

Application

Draft EA

Final EA

Lease

Project Plan

Survey

Install

2007 July2010

April 2012

Mid2013

State CD DOE EA Adoption

NOI

FIRST Lease on the OCS:

Establishing the framework for future

applicants

SNMREC Lease Blocks:

Small-scale Offshore Test Berth

Location

Phase IOperations

22km offshore280m of water

ShoreSupport

Florida Current

13-monthtime series

DOE-funded Multi-beam survey results depicted as habitat (used by

BOEM in EA)

Research Projects

(CY)2009 20112010 20132012

FAU Theses; Dissertations*; Industry-funded; DOE-funded; (in progress)

Technology: DAQ integration; dynamometer automation; turbine dynamics; PHM system

Blade DesignCoatings

Nacelle DesignFault Detection

Turbine PerformanceMaterials

Remote CommunicationFatigue Modeling

Power QualityMooring SystemStation KeepingHydrodynamics

Cathodic ProtectionSafety Models*

Power ControlBlade FatigueVideo SystemBlade Failure

System ControlAnchoring

Vibration AnalysisPHM Gateway

Corrosion/Fatigue

Facility DesignReliability*

PerformancePHM SoftwareData Mining*

(Telemetry)(Composite Blades)(System Simulation)

Environment: Historical/contemporary data analysis; sea turtles; marine mammals

OTEC in FL“Speech” Recognition

Video EventsWakes

Pattern Modality*

Turbine NoiseObject RecognitionVideo Acquisition

Global OTECTurbines & wavesSonar signaturesNoise SimulationImage Analysis

Current Resource*

(Turtle Survey)(Mammal Tracking)

(Inflow Spectra)(Turbulence)

Other large projects: >-- To UCF: Power disposition (electrolysis)-| >-- To FSU: Gulf Stream sensitivity via HYCOM ---------------------| |-- Dehlsen Assoc. et al. (survey) --------|

|-- Lockheed-Martin et al. (OTEC assessment) -----|

Global Assessment & Potential

Open-ocean currents with power densities > 500 W/m2 (that is, > 1 m s-1 of current) occur world-wide. The Florida Current is the most robust of these,

with Japan and South Africa not too far behind.

S. AfricaSE U.S.

Japan

SNMREC is collaborating with the North Carolina Coastal

Studies Institute in a feasibility study to determine the potential of MHK ocean current marine renewable

energy offshore Cape Hatteras.

Ocean Current Measurement

SNMREC Program Update

Coastal Radar – Surface Currents Acoustic Doppler

Current Profiler –Water Column

Combined 37 months of ADCP measurements

Design-driven phenomena identified, i.e. reversing shear profile

Continuing focus: extreme conditions, across-stream properties, and now-casting tools

Time variations are also seen in spatial variability

Variability

North Florida Current, June 2012

Florida Current variability includes reversals.

Even deeper and farther offshore, it swings around significantly, but at lower

speeds during reversal.

(mooring challenges)

Deep Water Corals

The existence of these cold/deep-water corals will provide challenges for ocean-bottom

activities. The patchy nature of their distribution throughout the region of interest will require great care with emplacements of

anchors and underwater cables.

Desirable: Sandy bottom

Deployment Experience &

Habitat Development

Marine Turtles & Mammals

24 Major and 20+ Minor Aerial Baseline

Distribution Surveys Complete

NEXT:

Studies while turbines are operating

Servicing the MHK Industry

TRL1

TRL9

TRL2

TRL3

TRL8

TRL7

TRL6

TRL5

TRL4

Design Tools

PHM Rotors Flow Modeling

Wave and

Tidal Ocean Current OTEC

20kW/3m Preliminary System Verification: Tow Tests 20th Scale Offshore Test Berth(s) 20kW/3m Ocean Current Turbine

25kW Electrical/Sensor System Testing Dynamometer

SNMREC – Advancing Technology Readiness through a Pre-

Permitted scaled test platform

Thank you

Stay “Current” with SNMREC

http://snmrec.fau.edu