The potential for dangerous interactions with floating debris is a leading consideration when evaluating potential sites for deployment of hydrokinetic power systems, yet to date, relatively little research effort has been directed towards developing and proving effective devices and systems for protecting turbines from floating debris.
This paper presents and discusses results from a series of 1/10 scale model experiments conducted by the National Research Council, Canada, working in collaboration with New Energy Corp, in which the effectiveness of six different debris barriers was assessed in steady flows up to 3 m/s. This research contributes important new knowledge concerning the performance of debris mitigation systems for use with floating hydrokinetic turbines deployed in rivers, estuaries and coastal waters.
