Session B5
Paper #2164
UNDERWATER TURBINES PROVIDING NEW ECO-FRIENDLY
TECHNOLOGY
Taylor Koffke (tjk38@pitt.edu), Ian Jones (imj5@pitt.edu)
Abstract— With the major push towards eco-friendly
technology, turbines are steadily making their return. The
newest eco-friendly technology that is beginning to grow in
popularity is the free-flow underwater turbine. Free-flow
underwater turbines work by using a constant energy
supplier, waves, to continuously spin a turbine, which
transforms mechanical energy into electricity with almost no
pollution being produced. This new technology is a
breakthrough in our struggle to find a new clean energy
source. This paper will go into depth about how these
cutting-edge water turbines will be placed in the ocean to
produce a large amount of energy that will provide
thousands of homes with energy without doing any
significant environmental damage. However, marine
biologists are still concerned about these turbines
terminating fish as they swim through the turbine or causing
them to change their migration patterns, so this paper also
provides the reader with information on how engineers plan
on overcoming those challenges to keep the marine wildlife
safe. This paper also dives into but the numerous benefits
there are by using these water turbines instead of other
electric generators. Finally, the last focal point of our paper
will be how using these underwater turbines is not only
smart but ethical as well, which is a major concern for
engineers. Our environment is slowly deteriorating as
current electric generators are releasing harmful byproducts
such as carbon dioxide into the air, but with the free-flow
underwater turbine issues like this can be avoided.
is the fact that they are very clean innovations, meaning they
produce little to no pollution. The new cutting-edge
technology that is leading the way in the resurge of the water
turbines is the free-flow underwater turbine. This turbine
will be placed in a major body of water, which can be either
an ocean or river, and uses the flow of the tides to turn its
rotor blades, which will result in the production of
electricity. The underwater turbine is a breakthrough in
mechanical engineering as it provides a numerous amount of
benefits for society as well as the environment. However, for
as many benefits as the underwater turbines provide there as
just as many obstacles that need to be surmounted before
these turbines can be placed in the water. Some of these
obstacles include how the turbines will be placed in the
ocean and how they will be safe to the marine life
encountering them. However, if these obstacles can be
overcome the results are very promising for our society.
Another focal point that is highly appealing to engineers
about this underwater turbine is the fact that it is an ethical
way of producing energy, which means that it is not only
very beneficial for society but does not put society in harms
way. Although the free flow underwater turbine comes with
many obstacles, the benefits that this technology can provide
is astonishing for both society and the environment, and
should be considered greatly as a new major way of
generating electricity.
BREAKING DOWN THE UNDERWATER TURBINE
The free flow underwater turbines are not very complex
innovations and in fact engineers designed them to be easily
moved, replaced, and repairable. A free flow underwater
turbine works by harnessing the current of the ocean to
move its blades similar to how a windmill uses the wind to
turn its blades [2]. In addition, because the tides change
directions throughout the day, engineers designed the
turbines so that their blades can rotate freely in the direction
of the tides. How the engineers were able to do this was by
connecting the propellers to a low-speed, flexible, coupling
mechanism that allows them to spin slowly in both
directions so it can generate energy at all times no matter
which way the ocean current is flowing. The blades are also
designed to have a large amount of torque placed on them to
reduce the speed of the blades. This has been done to
prevent injuries to the people swimming around them or
working on them and the fish in that area. The turbine is then
essentially attached to the generator, which collects the
mechanical energy created by the spinning of the rotor
blades. The energy that was just gained is then transferred
through a subsea cable to an onshore plant, which converts
Key Words— Eco-friendly, efficiency, environment, ethics,
free flow underwater turbines, marine life
FREE FLOW
Turbines have been used to generate power for civilizations
for thousands of years; however these energy converters
became more useful in the early stages of the Industrial
Revolution. During this time turbines became an
increasingly popular way of creating energy for factories as
well as homes. These turbines, more commonly known as
water wheels, would be placed outside of the textile mills in
a river. By placing them in the water, the water that ran
through the wheel would spin the wheel. As the wheel spun,
mechanical energy would be turned into electricity that
would be sent to the mills, which would power the mill’s
machines [1]. Nowadays turbines are steadily making their
return as a popular energy converter as we enter an era
where eco-friendly technology is so important. A key aspect
to these turbines that makes them so appealing to the public
University of Pittsburgh
Swanson School of Engineering
April 14, 2012
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Taylor Koffke
Ian Jones
the energy into electricity. Next, the electricity is sent to
transformers that will distribute the electricity to near buy
houses or businesses.
gigantic amounts of energy that could one day possibly
support the United States’ demand for electricity. It is
reported that one hundred turbines can produce up to ten
megawatts of power, enough to supply eight thousand homes
with electricity [2]. This is promising because as time goes
on their efficiency should only get better because these are
just prototypes that are being tested.
Placing the Turbines on the Ocean Floor
Placing the free flow underwater turbines on the ocean floor
is not a hard task to accomplish. The engineers planned on
making this task an easy one so in case of an emergency
they would be able to repair or replace one of the turbines
quickly. The process is also safe for people because no one
is in the water, this way no accidents will happen. First, a
boat tows the turbine out to its designated location in the
ocean or river. After it arrives at the designated location
engineers attach guide chains, which have been buried in the
ocean floor, to the turbine in order to keep it still. This way
the turbine is connected to the ocean floor and the
connection will prevent the turbine from moving from its
desired location. The turbine is then released from the boat
and sinks to the ocean floor without destroying the ocean
floor as it lands.
Environmental Benefits
Another benefit of free flow underwater turbines is that they
do not use any oils or grease to lubricate the bearings on the
turbine, but instead they use seawater. As a result this
requires less maintenance on the turbines because using
seawater for lubrication prevents any risk of oil or grease
entering the ecosystem and thus it is more cost effective
because it will be able to produce energy for a longer time
with less need for maintenance.
Also the free flow underwater turbines “are not visible,
so the ‘not in my backyard’ attitude should not be a
problem” unlike wind turbines, where people complain
about them sticking out and ruining the scenery of the
environment [2]. Also because they are under the water, land
does not have to be destroyed or rearranged in order to put
them in their designated position. The only place people
would have to worry about seeing the turbine would be the
location of the onshore control building that the subsea
cables are hooked up to. Since these turbines can be placed
almost anywhere in the ocean there can be as many free flow
turbines in a given area and unlike windmills there is no
worry of taking up needed land or looking awkward in their
location.
Another benefit that the underwater turbine has over the
windmill, which uses wind power, is that “hydro delivers
power more predictably” [2]. This is due to the fact that the
ocean currents have been recorded for years so people know
where there are consistently strong currents. These places of
consistent and strong currents are prime locations for a free
flow turbine because they will generate the most power
there. The best part about the underwater turbine using
renewable energy is that it is a constant source unlike wind.
The most important benefit of the underwater turbine that
is most appealing to the public is the fact that the free flow
turbines practically produce zero pollutants thus making the
technology truly “green” [3]. The world needs to go green
and find better renewable energy systems and free flow
underwater turbines just might be the “silver bullet” for this
problem [2]. Producing no pollutants is not the free flow
underwater turbines only major benefit. In Canada, a two
million dollar project is underway where they are using free
flow underwater turbines to “harness some of St. Lawrence
River’s kinetic energy and turn it into electricity. This
project is for fifteen megawatts, enough to power eleven
thousand average-sized homes”, however; “there is enough
potential power in the water currents of Canada’s tides,
rivers and manmade channels to generate fifteen thousand
Repairing Damages
If the turbine is ever damaged by something it is fairly easy
to repair. It is first detached from the subsea cable along
with the base of the body. After this, a hydraulic clamp grabs
the turbine from the bottom of the ocean and raises it to the
surface to be placed onto a service vessel that is pulled by a
tugboat. The turbine is then transported to a dock where it is
to be dissembled and repaired. The people who are fixing the
turbine then use a mobile crane to remove and lift up the
large parts so a mechanic can repair them. By removing the
large parts they are also able to work on the interior of the
turbine, such as the generator or the coupling mechanism.
When the repairs are done the turbine is reassembled and
transported back, where it can be reattached to the base on
the ocean floor. This free flow underwater turbine is capable
of creating a tremendous amount of electricity for the homes
and businesses around it, and the fact that if something bad
happens to the turbine it can be repaired and replaced
quickly and easily makes this technology cutting-edge and
beneficial for our society.
LOOKING AT THE BENEFITS
Energy Benefits
Our society has been in search of a renewable energy source
that can supply thousands of homes and businesses with
electricity, and the free flow underwater turbine is utilizing
its use of water to achieve that goal. In addition, there are
numerous benefits of using the free flow underwater turbine.
One benefit that was mentioned earlier is that the ocean
current is a constant source of energy that is renewed
without manual labor, and free flow underwater turbines are
taking advantage of this. They are capable of supplying
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MW (megawatts) of electricity using this technology” [2].
That is the amount of energy that fifteen large coal power
plants produce. Free flow underwater turbines could
theoretically eliminate big coal power plants around the
world. This is an excellent benefit because if we eliminate
coal power plants the air will be reduced of smog as a result.
Ridding the World of Dangerous Energy Converters
Another way to create energy is by using nuclear power
plants. However, they take up space and are dangerous
because government officials are not sure how to dispose of
the nuclear waste left behind from these plants. “A 2007
study by the Electric Power Research Institute in Palo Alto,
California, predicted that the U.S. could develop three
gigawatts of hydrokinetic power from rivers by 2025. That's
the equivalent of roughly two new nuclear power plants” [4].
By utilizing the power of these underwater turbines we could
eliminate nuclear power plants and the dangers they bring
with them.
Today’s energy generators may be efficient like the free
flow underwater turbines, but they do not provide the same
amount of benefits that the turbines do. By relying on the
underwater turbine, there would be a large reduction of air
pollution as well as many other eco-friendly advantages.
These turbines were not developed to solely be beneficial for
the environment; they were developed to be able to provide
immense amounts of energy over a large area. According to
what engineers report, these turbines are on track to do just
that and someday these turbines will be supplying not just
small local areas with power, but large regions instead.
River Turbines
Even though most of our focus has been on free flow
underwater turbines being placed in the ocean, there are also
free flow underwater turbines being placed in fresh water
rivers. One example of this is a project occurring in the
Mississippi river, where engineers want to place “tens of
thousands of turbines anchored to the bottom of the
Mississippi River that could someday provide more than a
gigawatt of renewable energy, enough to power a quarter of
a million homes” [4]. The free flow underwater turbines are
not exactly the same as the turbines used in the ocean; these
turbines have the same size and shape of a large jet engine.
One of these turbines can produce up to 40 kilowatts of
power. This amount of power is unprecedented because it is
the most a free flow turbine has produced yet. The free flow
jet turbines work the same way as the ocean turbines, but
since they are in a river, where the water only flows one
direction, the turbines can produce more energy because
they do not have to reverse the direction that the blades spin
in.
Also, similar to the ocean, the current of the Mississippi
river has been recorded for hundreds of years, which gives
engineers an advantage because they have information as to
where the best locations are to place the turbines. However,
due to the fact that the Mississippi river is a waterway for
commercial shipping boats the turbines can only be placed in
locations that will not affect the boats, mainly the deepest
parts of the river. This placement will prevent the turbines
from affecting the shipping boats, but it will also allow the
turbines to have a strong current because the current moves
faster as one goes deeper in the water.
For the turbines that will be placed in the river, they
provide another promising aspect to them that their
counterparts in the ocean do not. As of now in order to get
energy from rivers, engineers would design dams to generate
water pressure artificially, which after a long process would
be turned into electricity. However, with the introduction of
turbines, dams are no longer needed to generate power.
“That means you get all the benefits of clean hydropower
without the enormous carbon footprint that comes along
with major infrastructure projects” [5]. So, there is a huge
potential for using free flow underwater turbines in rivers.
Therefore, this provides engineers and environmentalists
with a variety of options as to where they are going to place
these turbines. Also if one of the turbines poses problems in
its location, they always have a back up option of resorting
to the other type of turbine.
HOW IS IT ECO-FRIENDLY?
There are many innovations that engineers have designed to
generate electricity, but the free flow underwater turbine
stands above the rest mainly because it is pollutant free. This
is so appealing to engineers and environmentalists alike,
especially as we enter an era where people are starting to
fear the terrible effects of global warming, which are getting
more serious everyday. Harmful pollutants that are released
into the air by other electric generators, such as coal power
plants, are slowly destroying the ozone, which is
consequentially leading to more serious and irreversible
environmental issues. If the production of these pollutants is
not reduced drastically in the next couple of decades our
society might experience a terrible change in our
environment that may not be repairable. Unlike the other
electric generators out there, the underwater turbine does not
produce harmful pollutants, which as most people know is a
major step towards producing energy with no damaging
repercussions on our environment.
Safety of Marine Life
Another environmental benefit of the underwater turbine is
that as earlier described the turbines will be placed on the
ocean floor. The reason this is beneficial to the environment
is because this means “no drilling will be required to fasten
it to the bedrock. That means less intrusion on the
environment” [6]. Since these turbines are not fastened to
the bedrock, there will be no worries of changing the
environment in that area by releasing certain sediments from
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the ground into the ocean or river. Lastly, the other major
environmental advantage of this turbine is that it uses
seawater as a bearing lubricant instead of grease or oil,
which would generally be used. The reason this is promising
news for environmentalist is because in the case of a turbine
breaking down oil could be released into the ecosystem,
which is very dangerous for the marine life due to the fact
the oil could possibly kill the fish [3].
This new cutting-edge technology provides so many ecofriendly advantages that other electric generators certainly
cannot compete with. With all the advantages that have been
mentioned earlier it is hard to deny that this efficient way of
generating electricity provides little to no concern
whatsoever when it comes down to environmental issues.
Yet, one of the flaws the environmentalists will find with the
free-flow underwater turbines is the effect that it has on the
marine life that is interacting with the turbine. Engineers
have considered this issue and were able to find a solution to
keep the fish from being harmed by the rotor blades. The
engineers of the free flow underwater turbine designed it to
have a large amount of torque resulting in the rotor blades
spinning slowly, about twenty one revolutions per minute,
while continuing to produce a massive amount of electricity
[7].
An engineering company from Houston called
HydroGreen Energy LLC were one of the first companies to
test out this underwater turbine to see if the fish and turbine
could coexist with one another without damaging the fish.
By tagging over five hundred fish and tracking their
movements as they encountered the turbine, tests showed
that the turbine harmed only three percent of the fish. This
data proved that the turbine may not be perfectly safe but it
is highly efficient in not harming the marine life surrounding
it [7]. As more tests are being done to prove the safety of the
underwater turbine, environmentalists are beginning to
notice “the turbine blades rotate slowly allowing fish to pass
through safely with minimal environmental impact" [2].
Due to the fact that these underwater turbines release no
pollutants into the environment, the major cause for concern
with them was their effect on the marine life. Now that the
engineers have developed ways of avoiding harming the fish
it increases its value as a breakthrough in eco-friendly
electric generation by providing almost no harm to the
environment.
health for the American Lung Association of New York
State [8]. These plants use diesel generators and studies
show that for each watt created these generators “produce up
to 20 times as much particulate pollution… and up to 200
times as much nitrogen oxides, precursors to ozone, or
smog” [8]. These statistics are terrifying and clearly
demonstrate these plants are contributing greatly to the
increase in global warming.
Another process that is common in creating electricity
that is well known for its danger to the environment is using
coal to produce electricity. Using coal to generate electricity
produces dangerous byproducts similar to the ones the
electric generator plants make, meaning they also add to the
problem of global warming [9]. Here are just a couple of the
many dirty and dangerous electric generators that are
currently being used today. Although these generators are
efficient in creating electricity, they are very dangerous to
the environment, whereas free flow underwater turbines do
not provide these types of problems, while producing the
same amount of energy.
ETHICAL STANDPOINT TOWARDS THE TURBINE
According to the code of ethics for engineers, “the services
provided by engineers require honesty, impartiality, fairness,
and equity, and must be dedicated to the protection of the
public health, safety, and welfare” [10]. From this statement
ethics are a clearly a major part of engineering; however,
their importance is often overlooked. Ethics keep society and
the welfare of people safe. They motivate engineers to create
innovations, such as the free flow underwater turbine, that
will help benefit people’s lives. Before engineers even
created a prototype of a free flow underwater turbine they
had to think if it was ethical for society, and clearly realized
it is.
Turbines Prove to be Ethically Safe for Environment
Free flow underwater turbines are ethical because they
produce practically no pollutants, which keeps the air clean
for people to breath. As our society and environment
continue to suffer from the consequences of unclean energy
converters, such as the amount of smog in the air, engineers
are beginning to design new methods to eliminate these
things. Having no pollutants keeps our atmosphere clean and
it keeps the environment clean.
Downfalls of Other Electric Generators
Ethical Innovations Benefit Society
Not only is it important to express all the eco-friendly
advantages of the free flow underwater turbines, but it is also
important to show why this type of electric generator is so
much more clean and efficient compared to the present day
electric generators.
The first example of harmful electric generators is the
massive electric generator plants. These plants are “pretty
much the dirtiest source of electricity you can find”
according to Peter Iwanowicz, director of environmental
Likewise, free flow underwater turbines are ethical because
they will produce massive amounts of power that can be
converted to electricity for homes. This is proven because in
Scotland they are placing ten free flow underwater turbines
off their shore, which will “harness the power of the Sound
of Islay and generate enough electricity for more than 5,000
homes and whisky distilleries” [11]. This is very ethical
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because in the over consuming society that we all live in the
turbines will provide thousands of people with electricity for
their homes or businesses. In addition, it will solve some of
Scotland’s energy crisis. On top of that, this energy is
renewable making it eco-friendly.
This makes the underwater turbine so valuable for the
United States because “the United States’ renewable energy
sector depends on hydropower for forty nine percent of
overall production” [12]. Engineers see the benefits that
using hydrokinetic energy provides for our society, which is
why they are developing this turbine technology. They hope
by creating this technology, it will make renewable energy
the main type of energy that is created and used throughout
the United States.
Another reason why free flow underwater turbines are
ethical is because they can eliminate nuclear and coal power
plants that are not good for our environment or our society.
Studies show that the free flow underwater turbine can be as
efficient as a nuclear power plant [4]. This means that free
flow underwater turbines can provide enough clean energy
that power plants can provide. Thus free flow underwater
turbines can eliminate the power plants that are not ethical,
such as coal and nuclear power plants. In doing this our
environment will be cleaner because pollution and smog
rates will decrease and the welfare of the people will be
protected.
innovation. In the case of the free flow underwater turbine,
that task was accomplished. Not only did the engineers
design one of the most efficient electric generators, but they
also took into consideration the safety of the people, marine
life, and the boats that would be sailing over them.
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE FREE FLOW
UNDERWATER TURBINE
In today’s day and age innovations such as the free flow
underwater turbine that are not only efficient, but also safe
for our society and environment are rare. By utilizing the
tides in major bodies of water such as rivers and oceans, the
free flow underwater turbine is able to collect an immense
amount of energy. It is for this reason that we should value
this new cutting-edge technology very highly.
Engineers have done groundbreaking research and tests
to make sure this turbine would be safe for the environment,
and they succeeded in making sure it is much safer than
other electric generators. By placing this turbine on the
ocean floor, no digging into the ocean floor will be required
and therefore it will have no affect the ecosystem they will
be placed in. Also due to the fact that there will be a large
amount of torque placed on the rotor blade, fish will be able
to swim through the blades because they will be moving so
slow.
Even though those are very important environmental
advantages that come with the use of the underwater turbine,
the benefits that also come with it outweigh the cons. For
this reason, engineers will do everything it takes to
overcome the obstacles it faces in order to provide the public
with a new top of the line product. Benefits that result from
using the free flow underwater turbine consist of a lesser
need for dams, constant large source of energy, which will
be turned into electricity, and lastly as well as most
importantly they produce no pollution.
Engineers are some of the most ethical people in the
world, and they have to be because so many people depend
on them to sustain our society. When engineers produce new
technology such as the free flow underwater turbine, they
have a purpose behind it. Their purpose in this case was to
get us away from electric generators currently being used
now because they are destroying our ozone with the
byproducts they produce. By using a renewable energy
source such as water people do not have to supply the
converter with a facilitator such as coal; therefore, leading to
no pollution being produced. Some of the brightest engineers
realize “as the population grows and its needs and desires
expand, the problem of sustaining civilization’s continuing
advancement, while still improving the quality of life, looms
more immediate” [13].
One of the major issues dampening our quality of life is
the fact that the environment we live in is slowly
deteriorating in front of our eye. This issue has led to a
major push for green products in many industries. As a
Thinking Through Every Problem
Finally, engineers had to think of a way to slow down the
blades so when scuba divers have to detach or reattach the
turbine to the base the quick moving blades would not injure
them. To solve this problem engineers designed a
mechanical part called a coupling mechanism to go within
the turbine. This mechanism not only slows down the speed
of the blades, but it also allows the turbine to produce as
much energy as possible and not lose that energy due to the
fact that the blades are spinning slower.
These are all things that illustrate when the engineers
designed the free flow underwater turbines they did it from
an ethical standpoint. However, the engineers did not stop
there. Instead, they took their problems one step further and
thought of ways to make sure no boats would be damaged if
they were to run over them. Trading groups that use major
bodies of water to transfer their goods are the most
concerned with these turbines in the water. They claim
“there are times of low-water period where there is only 10
to 20 feet from the bottom to the top of the water” and with
the water level so low one of these vessels could be struck
[4]. As a result of this engineers plan to keep the turbines at
the deepest parts of the bodies of water to avoid any
collisions with boats passing over them [4].
“Engineering has a direct and vital impact on the quality
of life for all people” [10]. This is why one of the hardest
responsibilities an engineer has is to think through every
problem that could possibly happen when they design a new
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Leenhouts, Doug. "The Advantages of Water Turbines | EHow.com." EHow
| How to Videos, Articles & More - Discover the Expert in You. |
EHow.com.
Web.
11
Jan.
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<http://www.ehow.com/list_7633610_advantages-water-turbines.html>.
result, this has caused engineers to reinvent the way we use
cars by inventing hybrids as well as many other things, and
now it is reinventing the way we create electricity for our
homes and other buildings. The free flow underwater turbine
is a major development and trailblazer in the way we create
our energy. If more underwater turbines are used throughout
the world we can rely less on electric converters that will
damage our environment more, and in essence begin
repairing the damage we have caused over the past couple
centuries before it is too late.
SPECIFICATIONS FOR ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
SECTION
We would like to thank our teacher and writing instructors,
who provided us with such great information on how to
successfully write this paper. We would also like to thank
the librarians, who helped us find our information on our
topic. Lastly, we would like to thank the resources we used
to gain our information.
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[10] "NSPE Code of Ethics for Engineers." NSPE. Web. 29 Feb. 2012.
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[12] Renthlei, Sonia. "What's Next: Generating Hydroelectricity without
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[13] "Introduction to the Grand Challenges for Engineering - Engineering
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SPECIFICATIONS FOR ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
SECTION
Brown, Jeff L. "Monopolies Provide Key to Capturing Ocean Energy."
Civil Engineering 71.3 (2001): 14. PittCat+. Web. 25 Jan. 2012.
Fairley, Peter. "Tidal Turbines Help Light Up Manhattan - Technology
Review." Technology Review: The Authority on the Future of Technology.
Web. 27 Jan. 2012.
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