Turbine Design and Reliability

Resilient Turbine Design

Led by Ionut Cardei, Ph.D.
Affiliated Home Campus: Boca Raton
Affiliated Department: Computer & Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

PROJECT

The Southeast National Marine Renewable Energy Center (SNMREC) is working towards making ocean current energy a viable power source for the state of Florida. To be economically viable, large arrays of these turbines must be used. This project models a large ocean current turbine generator array system in Python. This type of system is called an interdependent network, which consists of a mooring, power, and communication system that are dependent on one another. The increased dependency links creates an increased probability for catastrophic failure of the system. The goal of this project is to identify factors, such as mechanical failures or marine life interaction, which could cause the system to fail completely. This research will help ocean current turbine manufacturers identify the most vulnerable parts of ocean current turbine arrays, and aid in creating more robust turbine generator arrays in the future.

Click here to watch the student presentation.

Additional Information
Florida Atlantic's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute engages with the community through the Ocean Discovery Visitors Center and the Ocean Science Lecture Series. Harbor Branch’s research and outreach programs translate marine science in order to provide solutions that improve economies and quality of life for coastal communities.
Address
Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute
Florida Atlantic University
5600 US 1 North
Fort Pierce, FL 34946