System Design and Operation

Bio-Inspired Structures for Tidal Energy Harvesting

Led by Oscar Curet, Ph.D.
Affiliated Home Campus: Boca Raton
Affiliated Department: Ocean and Mechanical Engineering
REU Scholar: Victor Jimenez
REU Scholar Home Institution: University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez

Mangrove roots are resilient coastal structures found in sub-tropical and tropical regions. Taking them as inspiration, this project involved scaling and testing of a device which captures the energy provided by water currents and blends in with coastal areas, reducing environmental impact. The system consisted of a cylinder attached to a flexible plate that when placed under a flow of water oscillated at a specific frequency and amplitude. By changing the stiffness of the plate, the mass of the cylinder, and the speed of the water flow, different frequencies and amplitudes of oscillation could be achieved.

Testing was done with a specific plate stiffness and cylinder mass as the flow was varied across multiple velocities. Oscillations were tracked by a camera from which frequency and amplitude data were extracted. Results show an increase in amplitude and frequency with flow speed up to a specific velocity. The oscillations of the system then decrease with higher flow speeds. In addition to characterizing behavior, the data was used to estimate the power imparted to the system by the water flow.

Click here to watch the student presentation.