Masters Theses

Abstract

"Hydrokinetic energy is a relatively new concept in the field of renewable energy. The rotor of the turbine, immersed in water, uses the velocity from the flowing water to generate power. Thus the hydrokinetic turbines are also known as zero head turbines. These turbines can be installed in rivers, oceans and sea beds. The design of these systems depends on the site conditions, installation and maintenance costs. Since this technology has not been assessed for its potential power producing capabilities, not much research has been done in order to harness this form of renewable energy and to study the impact on the aquatic and marine life. This work studies the risk assessment of hydrokinetic turbines by formulating a failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) chart followed by a fault tree diagram (FT A) for horizontal and vertical flow turbines. The two turbines are in the conceptual stage and hence the FMEA and FTA are also developed for the conceptual models. These charts will be updated with design improvement by performing various tests in the water tunnel. The procedure to design these charts is followed based on wind turbines since the concept used to develop power is similar and the statistical data is unavailable. Also the ratings which are assigned to develop the risk priority number (RPN) in the FMEA diagram are based on the analysis of wind turbines. The results obtained from these assessments are helpful in understanding the reliability of the turbine and also gives the brief insight into the maintenance of the system. Finally the results from this study are based on the systems that have been developed for a specific site, general design for risk assessments and to study the reliability of the systems have to be performed at a later stage as part of future work"--Abstract, page iii.

Advisor(s)

Du, Xiaoping

Committee Member(s)

Hosder, Serhat
Takai, Shun

Department(s)

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Degree Name

M.S. in Mechanical Engineering

Publisher

Missouri University of Science and Technology

Publication Date

Fall 2011

Pagination

viii, 60 pages

Note about bibliography

Includes bibliographical references (pages 56-59).

Rights

© 2011 Praveen Kailkere Srinivas, All rights reserved.

Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

File Type

text

Language

English

Subject Headings

Water-power -- Risk assessmentTurbines -- Evaluation

Thesis Number

T 9930

Print OCLC #

795505713

Electronic OCLC #

914467783

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