Máy phát điện

Máy phát điện



Technology:

This technology builds upon SARA''s pioneering Ocean Wave Energy Conversion system, awarded US Patent 5,136,173; 1992. Unlike alternative concepts that make use of cumbersome intermediate mechanical stages, SARA''s approach uses direct conversion of mechanical fluid energy into electricity, via a highly efficient magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) process.

Products:


Rapidly-deployable Wave-powered MHD Electric Generator for the US Navy

Low-cost commercial power for coastal communities.

Benefits:

Almost no moving parts. No gears, no levers, no turbines, no drive belts, no bearings, etc.
Direct, local, and efficient conversion of fluid motion into electricity, with no intermediate mechanical stages.
Highly-compatible with very-strong, but slow-moving, driving forces (ocean waves, for example).

Program Status:

Patent application for latest design improvements now in process.

High current/low voltage power converter demonstrated

Successfully completed in 2001

Phase II SBIR Program contract is funded and now underway.

Investment Opportunity:


SARA is actively seeking investors and strategic partners interested in speeding this technology to market.


Program Overview:


MHD offers a new way to generate electric power from ocean wave motion. Most alternative ocean-wave power conversion technologies are indirect, bulky, expensive, and mechanically-inefficient. This state of affairs is not due to bad engineering. Rather, the problem is that ocean waves offer up their power in the form of very strong forces (e.g., many tons) acting at very low velocities (< 1 m/s). To couple this power to conventional high-speed rotary electric generators, inefficient mechanisms such as spin-up gearboxes or air pressurization/turbine systems are needed.

What makes our approach unique is that we do not employ a conventional rotary electric generator. Using a direct-conversion MHD generator shifts the impedance-matching burden from the mechanical domain to the electrical domain, where it can be managed far more efficiently. The low-impedance MHD output (very high current, low voltage) can be converted to more practical levels via efficient electronic switches and compact transformers. The result is efficient, compact, economical, and deployable.

Results of Phase I R&D:

Validated analytic and computer models of device operation.
Demonstrated MHD-based power generation and conversion of the high-current, low-voltage MHD output to practical levels (115 VAC).
Objectives of the Follow-on Phase II Program:

Design, construct, and demonstrate a 50-100 kW MHD unit.
Prepare and demonstrate a suitable power converter for use with it.
Establish and apply a comprehensive laboratory testbed
Complete a fully-operational and seaworthy prototype
Demonstrate system operation in an ocean environment.
Sponsor:

Office of Naval Research (ONR) via NSWCCD-SSES