Power generation through underwater turbine

ABSTRACT
Under water power or tidal energy is a renewable type energy source which generates electrical energy
by capturing the energy contained in moving water mass due to flow. Generating energy from under
water turbine is considered much more feasible today than building ocean-based dams or barrages
because oceans-based Dams and barrages are difficult and expensive to de-silt and maintain, forcing
Pakistan to turn to help from multilateral lending agencies such as the World Bank and Asian Development
Bank. And Beyond their feasibility, oceans- based dams are also responsible for luring people into harm's
way by creating a false sense of security in areas that are naturally fertile flood zones. Therefore, many
coastal sites worldwide are being examined for their suitability to produce under water energy. In this
project a small scale underwater turbine was designed and its performance was analyzed by installing it
at Kahna canal Lahore. A six bladed propeller made up of (iron/steel) was used to harness energy from
water flow and was furbished up inside a PVC drum to channelize water flow. This propeller was coupled
with a dc generator (220Volts, 800rpm) by a gear assembly of ratio 1:20. Generator was made water proof
by rubber sealing. The propeller is specially designed according to the requirement of our suitable
location. The diameter of the propeller is 14.2 inches and the diameter of the drum in which the turbine
is fitted is 17 inches. Buck converter is used at the output to make our system stable. It was found that
the power output varies proportional to the speed of water. This turbine was placed at different flow
rates regions and results depicted that this under water turbine is capable of producing a maximum of
(Power) at velocity (1m/s) which is enough to supply a small load like fan, light bulb, charger etc. It was
also investigated that if this project is scaled up then it can prove to be a reliable source of energy meeting
electricity needs of nearby remote areas. Designing a nozzle to increase velocity, designing a voltage
regulator and proper sizing of turbine are the future recommendations for this project.in this way with
the help of this project on large scale we can overcome our energy crisis in order to take our country
toward development. This underwater power generation is very feasible for us.so we have to make great
effort for the future of our country.

Block diagram

Block diagram of the project is clearly given below.

Mechanical Electrical
Kinetic energy
energy from energy from Electricity
from water
propellers generator

Features of project

Features of the project are also given below.

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1. Quick and robust transport and installation.
2. Customizable electrical output.
3. No permanent foundation or damming needed.
4. Nature-friendly power generation solution.

Overall view of project

Applications

• It is an exhaustible source of energy.

• Tidal energy is environment friendly energy and doesn’t produces greenhouse gasses.
• As 71% of the earth’s surface is covered by water, there is a great scope to generate this energy
on large scale.
• We can predict the rise and fall of tides as they follow the cyclic fashion.
• Cost of construction of underwater turbine is high but maintenance cost is very low.
• Does not require any kind of fuel to run.
• The life of underwater turbine is very long.
• The energy density of the tidal energy is relatively higher than other renewable resources.

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