The density of water is an amazing thing, not only for the amount of kinetic energy it can carry when flowing but also for the bouyancy factors.
A whale cannot not survive long when beached as the bulk of the body weight pushes down on the vital organs, but a superb swiming creature when in clear water.
That same water bouyancy is asset when used to float giant cruise ships and oil tankers etc.
The rotor assembly for the Hales Turbines, dry weight , even for the smaller 1M units can be a hefty 88 Kgs, being constructed in stainless steel, however when immersed in water this weight drops to around 42 Kgs with the help of water displacement and the floatation materials within the blades.
The rotor mass helps to act as a flywheel in fast turbulent water flows but the bouyancy will help reduce the load on bearings etc.
No comments:
Post a Comment