Prof. Moored’s team in the Unsteady Flow Interactions Laboratory is focused on maximizing the energy extraction efficiency of a Bio-Inspired Renewable Energy (BIRE) hydrokinetic turbine for electricity generation to be used from remote villages to large cities. Our efforts in understanding and optimizing the hydrodynamics of the BIRE device are part of collaborative effort with researchers at three other institutions that will be contributing power generator, controls, and structural expertise. Our BIRE research will result in levelized costs of energy and an environmental impact that is lower than in current hydroelectric river-based power generation.
Below: In a BIRE turbine, the flow of water causes the hydrofoils to oscillate up and down. This motion is converted into rotational motion, which then powers a generator. BIRE turbines are friendly to migrating fish since they typically operate at a fraction of the speed of rotary turbines.
The bio-inspired hydrodynamics component of this research is led by Prof. Keith Moored and funded by the Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). The research consortium for this work includes collaborators include teams at the University of Virginia, Virginia Institute of Technology, and Sandia National Laboratories.
Read more about Prof. Moored’s work on the physics of bio-inspired propulsion, including work on flexible pitching hydrofoils, 3D pitching propulsors, and the fluke hydrodynamics of whales, dolphins, and porpoises.