Tidal Turbine and Sub Sea Base Structure

Project Description

Tidal energy is very predictable and is one of the rarest forms of renewable energy. It is predictable in the sense that it is known how much energy it is going to generate and when.
Tidal turbines are deployed on the sea bed deep enough that they do not interfere with shipping traffic where they cannot be seen or heard. The turbine is secured by a steel frame. For six and one quarter hours the tide flows in one direction through the turbine generating power, the tide reverses and the turbine operates in the opposite direction.

The Fundy In-Stream Tidal Project with Nova Scotia Power at the forefront of tidal energy development in the Bay of Fundy. It is a strong possibility that 200 to 300 hundred of these turbines could be strategically deployed in the Bay of Fundy.

This structure had to be designed to withstand the highest tides in the world, an extremely harsh environment. Ultimate design and subsequent construction resulted in a (10) meter turbine that was to attached to a subsea frame approximately (15) meters high with the center of the turbine is 10 meters off the sea floor. Leading in and out of the turbine structure, steel plate was formed and fabricated into cones to produce a venturi effect.

To meet design and environment requirements, large sections of cylindrical hollow structural steel was used to provide strength and longevity and to make the frame base stable. The hollow steel sections were filled with approximately 200 tons of concrete. The structure is engineered as a dynamically loaded structure so welding requirements and subsequent inspection and testing were much more stringent than other types of structures.

The completed structure measured approximately 22 meters by 22 meters by 15 meters placing the overall weight the steel structure at 200 ton. and the entire turbine and subsea structure an approximate weight of 400 tons.