Testing for Oceana In-River Hydrokinetic Turbine Begins

Dr. Kent Davey, Chief Electromechanical Engineer with Oceana Energy Company, visited the Power Systems Integration Laboratory last week to begin the first phase of testing a run-of-the-river turbine.

 ACEP tested a turbine made by Oceana in Nenana, Alaska in 2014 and 2015. The turbine was deployed into the Tanana River from a barge funded by the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust. The test proved the system could handle real-world conditions, including varying river velocities, changing water levels, and turbulence.

 Oceana is now testing ​the device in ACEP's PSI lab to determine the generation characteristics of its device. Th​e​ first phase was completed last week, which included assembling the turbine, generating voltage in a dry and wet tank, and running the turbine at up to 80 rpm.

 The second phase is scheduled for early December and will include tying the turbine to the lab grid to ensure the system can export power. Finally, the turbine will be tested with varying rotational speeds to mimic the water flow in the river.

Photo: Kent Davey (left) and David Light (middle) observe the performance of the in-river turbine as it spins during testing in the PSI Lab. Photo by Amanda Byrd/ACEP.