Customer: GCK Technology
Industry: Clean Energy – Tidal Hydropower
Sigma Design Support Clean Energy Development
Hydropower is a clean energy source, but it requires huge, expensive dams that flood vast areas, displacing people and disrupting the environment. The Gorlov helical turbine taps alternative sources of water power without the widespread environmental harm of large dams. Gorlov’s design consists of blades twisted into the shape of a helix , the shape of a DNA molecule. The turbine’s blades rotate at twice the velocity of the water current flow, and capture’s more of the water’s energy than a conventional turbine. After Gorlov developed the helical design concept, GCK engineers needed to take laboratory and prototype data and turn it into a real working machine. They wanted to determine loads on the blades , shaft and bearings so they could optimize the design, reduce manufacturing costs, and ensure reliable operation.
Services Performed: System development, computational fluid analysis and simulation, bearing load analysis, design for manufacturability, input on testing protocol, supported field testing.