2002–2012: 10 Years of Research Progress in Horizontal-Axis Marine Current Turbines

Research in marine current energy, including tidal and ocean currents, has undergone significant growth in the past decade. The horizontal-axis marine current turbine is one of the machines used to harness marine current energy, which appears to be the most technologically and economically viable on...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Kai-Wern Ng, Khai-Ching Ng, Wei-Haur Lam
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2013-03-01
Series:Energies
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/6/3/1497
Description
Summary:Research in marine current energy, including tidal and ocean currents, has undergone significant growth in the past decade. The horizontal-axis marine current turbine is one of the machines used to harness marine current energy, which appears to be the most technologically and economically viable one at this stage. A number of large-scale marine current turbines rated at more than 1 MW have been deployed around the World. Parallel to the development of industry, academic research on horizontal-axis marine current turbines has also shown positive growth. This paper reviews previous research on horizontal-axis marine current turbines and provides a concise overview for future researchers who might be interested in horizontal-axis marine current turbines. The review covers several main aspects, such as: energy assessment, turbine design, wakes, generators, novel modifications and environmental impact. Future trends for research on horizontal-axis marine current turbines are also discussed.
ISSN:1996-1073