The small, person-portable, HydroCoil Turbine by HydroCoil Power, Inc. is a tested, revolutionary step forward for micro-hydropower with a helical, injection-molded design and few parts, generating more electricity from low head/ low-to-medium flow installations than other turbine technology (see chart in the full proposal). Phase I will incorporate the HydroCoil turbine design, combined with innovative head extension technology developed at e-Harvest Systems, Inc., into a dynamic system computer model. Using advanced Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tools and techniques, combined system performance will be predicted under a range of various flow/head conditions and adaptable penstock configurations. Multiple turbine/generator units can be clustered together easily and quickly, extending generation capacity. Additional development tasks (Phase I Option) include designing and testing microcomputer-equipped, robotic submersible units embodying intake/debris screen, turbine, and output conditioning electronics. Equipped with RF links and IP addresses, these assemblies will directly monitor and control the integrated system via internet or smartphone application. Site selection and microhydro turbine set-up will also be simplified. In addition to fulfilling the requirements of the N112-147 topic, the overall system will provide a portable demonstration and evaluation platform, significantly boosting commercialization efforts and product sales.
Benefit: The HydroCoil/e-Harvest system developed under this program will greatly extend the range of potential sites for small-scale hydroelectricity generation using a scalable, adaptable, easily installed turbine with high power-to-weight and power-to-footprint ratios. Water is the abundant, renewable energy resource. Flexible penstock configurations and the unique capability of easy side-to-side clustering for multiple turbine modules further extend that range. Conventional hydroelectric systems require dams; the proposed system does not. This eliminates the cost, security issues, and the potential negative environmental impact of such structures. The intake and turbine/generator units are contained in robotic submersible platforms; thisand the ability to locate the penstock along the river bottomallows the combined system to self-optimize over a wide range of flows with negligible environmental and aesthetic impact. The system will be useful in both military and remote civilian applications, as temporary or fixed installations, and whether grid-connected or off-grid. As portable equipment for hydroelectric power, it will be used in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations by non-governmental organizations, military support, and civilian governments. Most municipalities maintain water resources for their populations and industries. The proposed system can be quickly and easily installed at the exit, spillway, cascades, or effluent pipes of water treatment facilities, channels, reservoirs or canals, providing green energy for those municipalities from a clean, non-polluting, renewable resource. Using the Virtual Hydropower Prospector tool from Idaho National Labs, over 20,000 potential sites in the Mid-Atlantic area alone have been identified. Discussions with potential early adoptersincluding municipalities, golf courses, and small businesses located at or near such potential siteshave already been initiated; we expect to have multiple letters of intent by the time the SBIR work is completed.
Keywords: hydropower, hydropower, ribbon drive, head extension, ribbon turbine, microhydro, Power, low head
