Investigation of a Novel Marine Based Reciprocating Current Energy Converter

This paper presents MARINER, a novel tether-based underwater marine hydrokinetic system designed to harness current flow in both nearshore and offshore applications. The working principle of the system is based on the effect of drag force acting on a body on flow. By controlling the sizes of the two drag bodies in the flow it is possible to create a reciprocating motion which in turn can be used to generate power. This design allows MARINER to function with virtually no cut-in speed requirement and minimizes its impact on marine life due to its passive operation. A simplified model was created to simulate the cyclic motion of the two variable-size drag bodies. Simulation results are presented to demonstrate the power generation capability of the system for sphere and spherical cone body shapes and various tether lengths. Additionally, the paper highlights the application of the system in various flow regimes ranging from 0 - 3 m/s, demonstrating its potential use in rivers, oceans, and tidal currents as a unique, scalable, current energy harvesting device.