Hydrogen - Hydro-Gen technology

Hydro-Gen technology

Hydro-Gen is a big floating paddle wheels turbine included in a catamaran frame venturi shaped.

The frame is optimized to allow tapping a maximum of water in move in order to capture a maximum of kinetic energy which is transformed in mechanical energy by the wheel motion, and then transformed into electrical energy through a generator mechanically driven by the wheel. And then finally changed by a power control station to a steady electrical current normed at the customer request.

The frame has another advantage: it makes the sea all around the machine safe for others sea users like sailing boat, water sports items, and small crafts. So that there is no risk of accident.
The wheel may be covered in order to reduce wind perturbations on the emerged paddles or the noise emission in order to have a lower noise level that the sea.

Hydro-Gen main purpose is to produce energy, with different scenarios:

- Either be transformed by means of a device AC-DC-AC then carried out toward the shore by an underwater wire. Power transformation can also conveniently be done ashore. Electric energy is produced and transformed using a technology basically coming from wind turbines.

- Later, the power could be directly used in order to produce hydrogen (the clean fuel of the future) by electrolysis of the sea water.

The machine is moored at its two ends. So that there is a minimal impact on the environment.
It can be moved, towed, beached. 90% of the maintenance and repair can be done onboard. The remaining, very heavy duty repair can be done at pier, or in the dockyard. It is also easily able to evolve.
In fact, either its construction or its maintenance are standardized, similar to all regular ships, and done by any shipyard close to the site, making the system more cost efficient along its whole life.

We sell our products as they are ready-to-market now. Please consult us for a set-up study or a price quotation.

Hydro-Gen is a trade registered brand, the technology is patented.

Power output :

The power output equals the well known formula: P =½ρηSV³
ρ being the density of the sea water, η the productivity coefficient, S the immerged surface exposed to the marine current and V the marine current velocity.
With a correct optimization, one can hope to reach a power output of : P = 100 SV³
It is very important to notice that the «current velocity» is affected by cubic power, underscoring the relatively minor importance of the power efficiency factor (100).

Thus a Hydro-Gen turbine with a wheel of 15 m length by 15 m of diameter is expected to produce power starting from 0 to 800 Kw following a cubic hyperbole function of current velocity from 0 to 4,6 m/s (or from 0 to 9 knots):

The extreme importance of the «V³» tend to favor the choice of floating turbines: The current velocity is at its maximal speed slightly under the free sea surface and decreases with the depth, cancelling itself at the ground level, as shown in the below graph:

V (marine current velocity) is fully predictable over years, in contrast with the wind, and is roughly proportional to the tide coefficient, as shown below for the year 2001:

Simulation of average current velocity over one year provide the total energy output in Mwh, or the average power in Mw over one year, produced by the machine, and thus the total annual revenue. Thus it is possible to build a solid business plan.

A marine current turbines set up project must start by both a technical feasibility and a business study, including all these parameters.

We can perform these studies for you if you wish.

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