· Seaplace are developing a marine turbine specifically designed to harness the energy from tidal and ocean currents in regions which, having relatively-high-speed water flows at depths with long distance to the seabed, cannot ensure an economic exploitation with fixed turbines.
• Magnomatics Limited were tasked by Seaplace to design, build a prototype and test a compact, efficient and highly reliable direct drive generator using its Pseudo Direct Drive (PDD®) technology.
• The 32-month collaborative development project that was driven by the Eurostars programme, a European funded programme that aims to support innovative products, processes and services.
• From the outset, Seaplace and Magnomatics design teams worked closely to outline the challenging specification and then a roadmap to turn this into reality through detailed design, analysis, prototyping and test.
• A 5.5kW demonstrator turbine was built as well as a concept design for a 750kW production unit
• Magnomatics Engineering Team alongside the new Quantum EV ROV at the exhibition The hard work of both teams meant Seaplace were able to test the scale model of the Tidal Marine Current Turbine at the Canal de Experiencias Hidrodinámicas de El Pardo (CHEIPAR) facility in Spain.
• Using the kinetic energy of ocean currents as a means of generating energy is a relatively young technology compared with developments in other fields of alternative power generation. However, it offers immense potential as currents are more predictable than wind or solar power.
• The mass transport of the Gulf Stream current is more than 30 times the total flow of the freshwater rivers of the entire world. This huge current achieves at some places, off the East coast of Florida, an annual power density of about 2,0 kW/m2 - corresponding to a mean current speed of about 3 knots (approx. 3.5 mph).
• This project was shortlisted for the Eureka Global Project of the Year 2019 which is an award to recognise the project which has achieved the biggest impact overall within the Eureka European portfolio.
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