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- Asset Management
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- Hydraulic Optimization
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- Marine Energy
Grid Value Proposition of Marine Energy
Lead Companies
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Lead Researcher (s)
- Jan Alam
PNNL and NREL are in the second year of a three-year project to comprehensively review the grid value for marine hydrokinetic development at scale on an intermediate- to long-term horizon. The project will dovetail with nationally-accelerating valuation efforts to characterize and quantify specific services from generating resources and estimate the value of those services over time. It will capitalize on the larger conversation and technical approach to establish locational value, referencing adopted frameworks and related laboratory analysis. And it will take advantage of laboratory expertise in a variety of disciplines – ocean physics, mechanical engineering , electrical engineering, energy economics – chained together in order to ensure that benefits and services assessed are realistic for MHK technologies and ocean energy resources.
Technology Application
Marine Energy
Research Category
Interconnect Integration and Markets
Research Sub-Category
Future Grid
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
TBD
- Marine Energy
H2 Generation from Seawater for MHK Power Storage
Lead Companies
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Lead Researcher (s)
- Kelsey Stoerzinger
Electrocatalytic water splitting is a possible route to the expanded generation of green hydrogen however a long-term challenge is the requirement of fresh water as an electrolyzer feed. The use of seawater as a direct feed for electrolytic hydrogen production would alleviate fresh water needs and potentially open an avenue for locally generated hydrogen from marine hydrokinetic or off-shore power sources. One environmental limitation to seawater electrolysis is the generation of chlorine as a competitive anodic reaction. This work evaluates transition metal (W, Co, Fe, Sn and Ru) doping of Mn-Mo based catalysts as a strategy to suppress chlorine evolution while sustaining catalytic efficiency. Electrochemical evaluations in neutral chloride solution and raw seawater showed the promise of a novel Mn-Mo-Ru electrode system for oxygen evolution effi-ciency and enhanced catalytic activity. Subsequent stability testing in a flowing raw seawater flume highlighted the need for improved catalyst stability for long-term applications of Mn-Mo-Ru catalysts. This work highlights that elements known to be selective toward chlorine evolution in simple-oxide form (e.g. RuO2) may display different trends in selectivity when used as isolated dopants, where here Ru suppressed chlorine evolution in Mn-based catalysts. Adiga P.P., N. Doi, D.M. Santosa, L. Kuo, G.A. Gill, J.A. Silverstein, and N.M. Avalos, et al. 2021. "The Influence of Transitional Metal Dopants on Reducing Chlorine Evolution During the Electrolysis of Raw Seawater." Applied Sciences. PNNL-SA-165321. [Unpublished]
Technology Application
Marine Energy
Research Category
Technology
Research Sub-Category
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
TBD
- Marine Energy
Hybrid Research Vessel to Serve and Represent the next Generation of Blue Economy Technology
Lead Companies
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Lead Researcher (s)
- Skip Kerschner
Technology Application
Marine Energy
Research Category
Technology
Research Sub-Category
Hydrokinetic
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
TBD
- Marine Energy
Improvements to Hydrodynamic and Acoustic Models for Environmental Prediction
Lead Companies
Sandia National Laboratories
Lead Researcher (s)
- Jesse Roberts
This research will develop and finalize the spatial environmental assessment toolkit (SEAT) made of linked, user-friendly and open-source (freely available) numerical models and mapping tools for designing MRE array layouts that, a priori, maximize energy production and beneficial environmental change while simultaneously minimizing and supporting mitigation of undesirable change. This work supports both the continental grid market and Powering the Blue Economy (PBE) applications such as coastal resilience and disaster recovery for local communities at device spatial and energy scales (e.g. local shoreline protection, reduced coastal erosion and storm surge, beneficial sediment and habitat management, powering isolated communities, etc.). Imperative, and not found elsewhere, is that the SEAT allows MRE project developers to assess site- and technology-specific challenges unique to each deployment as well as find optimal project layouts for power generation and environmental impacts. The goal of the SEAT is to reduce project design, permitting, and monitoring costs with high quality site characterization and better, a priori, understanding of the potential environmental impacts (beneficial or potentially detrimental), while simultaneously defining array layouts that maximize energy production under given constraints. Because SEAT provides a thorough understanding of the environmental effects from MRE deployments, it helps screen (i.e. retire), or where not possible effectively mitigate, environmental risks enabling effective mitigation and efficient monitoring programs to be developed.
Technology Application
Marine Energy
Research Category
Environmental and Sustainability
Research Sub-Category
Hydrokinetic
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
Expected 2025
- Marine Energy
In order to improve their long-term viability, wave energy converters (WEC) need to be able to shed loads when a threshold wave condition is exceeded. As shown by Tom et al. [1], provision of adjustable flaps within the body of an Oscillating Surge Wave Energy Converter (OSWEC) allows wave energy to pass through the device. A control system may then be able to open and close the flaps when waves approaching the device exceed preset thresholds. The variable geometry OSWEC concept studied in this paper is a bottom-hinged rectangular wave paddle with five flaps of elliptical cross-section embedded into the face of the paddle. System ID tests were conducted on this VG-OSWEC device at 1:14 scale in a wave basin. Free decay tests showed that the damping was distinctly nonlinear when the flaps were fully open, and the natural frequency was increased by 40% when compared with the flaps fully closed configuration.
Lead Companies
NREL
Lead Researcher (s)
- Nathan Tom
In order to improve their long-term viability, wave energy converters (WEC) need to be able to shed loads when a threshold wave condition is exceeded. As shown by Tom et al. [1], provision of adjustable flaps within the body of an Oscillating Surge Wave Energy Converter (OSWEC) allows wave energy to pass through the device. A control system may then be able to open and close the flaps when waves approaching the device exceed preset thresholds. The variable geometry OSWEC concept studied in this paper is a bottom-hinged rectangular wave paddle with five flaps of elliptical cross-section embedded into the face of the paddle. System ID tests were conducted on this VG-OSWEC device at 1:14 scale in a wave basin. Free decay tests showed that the damping was distinctly nonlinear when the flaps were fully open, and the natural frequency was increased by 40% when compared with the flaps fully closed configuration.
Technology Application
Marine Energy
Research Category
Research Sub-Category
Status
complete
Completion Date
2021
- Marine Energy
In-Water Data Acquisition Tool Supports Four Marine Energy Projects
Lead Companies
NREL
Lead Researcher (s)
- Rebecca Fao Rebecca.Fao@nrel.gov
- Rob Raye Robert.Raye@nrel.gov
Today, the nascent marine energy industry is putting promising prototypes in the water. These budding machines could soon produce clean energy from ocean and river waves, currents, and tides to power coastal and remote communities and the U.S. power grid. While today’s open-water trials are a critical step to learn how prototypes work in a real-world setting, collecting data in a salty, tumultuous environment is not always easy. But it can be far easier with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s in-water data solution tool, which recently helped four marine energy projects advance towards commercial success.
Technology Application
Marine Energy
Research Category
Research Sub-Category
Status
complete
Completion Date
2022
- Marine Energy
Influence on Structural Loading of a Wave Energy Converter by Controlling Variable-Geometry Components and the Power Take-Off: Preprint
Lead Companies
NREL
Lead Researcher (s)
- Sal Husain
- Nathan Tom
Oceans are harsh environments and can impose significant loads on deployed structures. The deployment of wave energy converters (WECs) faces a design challenge with apparently contradictory goals. A WEC should be designed to maximize the energy absorbed while ensuring the operating wave condition does not exceed the failure limits of the device itself. Therefore, the loads endured by the support structure are a design constraint for the system. Adaptability to different sea states is, therefore, highly desirable. This work uses a WECSim model of a variable-geometry oscillating wave energy converter (VGOSWEC) mounted on a support structure simulated under different wave scenarios. A VGOSWEC resembles a paddle pitching about a fixed hinge perpendicular to the incoming wave fronts. Therefore, the hinge experiences loads perpendicular to its axis as it maintains its position. The geometry of the VGOSWEC is varied by opening a series of controllable flaps on the pitching paddle when the structure experiences threshold loads. Because opening the flaps lets the waves transmit through the paddle, it is hypothesized that opening the flaps should result in load shedding at the base of the support structure. The load shedding is achieved by reducing the moments about the hinge axis. This work compares the hydrodynamic coefficients natural periods, and response amplitude operators from completely closed to completely open configurations of the controllable flaps. The comparisons quantify the effects of letting the waves transmit through the VGOSWEC. This work shows that the completely open configuration can reduce the pitch and surge loads on the base of the support structure by as much as 80%. It was observed that at the paddle’s resonance frequency, the loads on the structure increased substantially. This increase in loads can be mitigated by a rotational power take-off damping about the hinge axis. Changing the rotational power take-off damping was identified as an additional design parameter that can be used to control the loads experienced by the WEC’s support structure.
Technology Application
Marine Energy
Research Category
Research Sub-Category
Status
complete
Completion Date
2021
- Conventional Hydro
Innovative Outreach and Engagement Approaches
Lead Companies
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Lead Researcher (s)
- Shannon Bates
This project focuses on innovative outreach and engagement approaches that can be applied to all waterpower projects (marine and hydropower) within the WPTO portfolio.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro, Marine Energy, Pumped Storage, Small or Non Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Research Sub-Category
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
TBD
- Marine Energy
Intelligent Adaptable Monitoring Package for Marine Renewable Energy Projects
Lead Companies
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Lead Researcher (s)
- Shari Matzner
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory will support a technical evaluation of the Intelligent Adaptable Monitoring Package (iAMP) instrumentation package developed by the University of Washington. The evaluation will take place at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's Marine Sciences Laboratory, where the instrumentation package will be deployed for an extended endurance test. During the endurance test, the performance will be evaluated using controlled, synthetic targets (drifting instrumented buoys) and naturally occurring marine biota.
Technology Application
Marine Energy
Research Category
Technology
Research Sub-Category
Environmental Impact
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
TBD
- Marine Energy
International Environmental Data Sharing Initiative (Annex IV Project & Tehys Database)
Lead Companies
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Lead Researcher (s)
- Andrea Copping
This project aims to reach a broad national and international audience with the latest and most impactful research on the environmental effects of marine renewable energy. To help organize and disseminate this information and data to researchers, project developers, regulators, and the MRE community, DOE WPTO has directed Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to create and manage the Tethys, a web-based knowledge management system with semantic properties to enable enhanced searching and tagging capabilities, providing researchers, project developers, and regulators access to information and data on environmental effects of offshore renewable energy.
Technology Application
Marine Energy
Research Category
Environmental and Sustainability
Research Sub-Category
Fish and Aquatic Resources
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
TBD
Don’t see your waterpower research?
Have questions about WaRP?
Contact Marla Barnes at: marla@hydro.org