Advanced Composite Materials for Tidal Turbine Blades

The DOE is interested in the development of efficient tidal turbine systems to help meet the future energy needs of the United States. State-of-the-art tidal turbine systems feature composite tidal turbine blades. Unfortunately, composite materials possess questionable durability characteristics relevant to the marine environment (e.g., poor cavitation-erosion and impact-damage-resistance), which can adversely affect the blade and hence, tidal turbine reliability. To address the need for composite materials with improved durability, this project will explore the application of a proprietary family of composite materials to tidal turbine blades. In comparison to industry-standard marine composite materials, these materials possess higher cavitation-erosion and impact-damage resistance while also possessing consistent mechanical properties and processing characteristics. In Phase I, a preliminary composite tidal turbine blade design, incorporating the advanced material technology, will be developed and evaluated in comparison to state-of-the-art composite tidal turbine blades. During Phase II, full-scale prototype hardware will be manufactured and evaluated in a relevant environment. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: Cost-effective, durable composite materials should enable the required performance and reliability for next-generation of tidal turbine blades. In addition, the resulting technology could be applied to other products in a similar marine environment, including ship propellers, and impellers for pumps and blades used in traditional hydroelectric systems