Research


Research

Undergraduate Research Projects

TECH 797 - AY2008-2009

Sponsored by the Marine Program and New Hampshire Sea Grant, TECH 797 is a senior design course alternative that offers financial support for projects in the marine area. Interdisciplinary teams of three to five students work with a sponsoring faculty member on his or her research project. During the yearlong course, team members must deal with the corporate, business, and research communities to obtain advice, direction, information, and the equipment and materials required to complete their projects. The teams produce real solutions to real problems and ends with the teams presenting their results to a jury of marine professionals. Often, their work leads to the discovery of new knowledge and the development of new technology. For more information on UNH Ocean Projects, contact either of the co-directors: Dr. Larry Harris (Zoology) 603-862-3897 or Dr. Rob Swift (Mechanical Engineering) 603-862-1837.


2008/2009 Teams


Foghorn Group —  Advisors: Allen Drake & Ken Baldwin

ABSTRACT: Audible warning signals are necessary for ensuring the safety of nautical vessels in inclement weather conditions where a visible navigation beacon may become obscured. An engineering challenge exists in designing a commercially viable fog horn which is simultaneously lightweight, low profile, weather resistant, has low power consumption, and yet is powerful enough to produce an audible signal over a great distance.

This design team has endeavored to design a fog horn prototype which meets or exceeds the specifications set forth by the customer, while keeping the design flexible enough that the customer may implement design changes in the future.


Tidal Turbine Performance Analysis —  Advisors: Ken Baldwin, Rob Swift, Martin Wosnik

ABSTRACT: Last year, UNH students designed and largely assembled an electrical generation and deployment system for a helical vertical-axis tidal turbine. For 2008-09, the Performance Analysis team was charged with designing and building a data acquisition system to measure and record important turbine performance parameters during its first deployment in the Piscataqua River. Electrical power output and rotational velocity of the turbine were measured in three separate field tests, culminating in a moored test under the General Sullivan Bridge in Newington, NH, where strong tidal currents make this location ideal for testing tidal power technologies. In currents between three and six knots the turbine produced 100 to 150W of electrical power at rotational velocities of 60 to 90 RPM. This power level falls well short of what the turbine is capable of, most likely because last year’s electrical generation system was designed only to be adequate for powering a 12-V battery charging circuit. Gear ratio changes and the construction of a more versatile electronic load, both ongoing efforts, are expected to increase the power output of the turbine by a factor of 10 or more.


Tidal Power Generation: Infrastructure —  Advisors: Ken Baldwin, Rob Swift, Martin Wosnik

ABSTRACT: The ever growing concern over our current energy dependency has been a topic of interest in today’s society. With clean and efficient energy being the top priority, the world is looking toward new technologies to fulfill our energy needs. Tidal power is one form of energy that has caught attention as of late. Tidal energy is both a clean and renewable source of power that has great potential. It also has the unique ability of being completely predictable, unlike solar or wind energy. We have made it our mission to establish and develop a testing platform for tidal power generation at the University of New Hampshire. We will focus on the systems mechanical infrastructure while another group is tasked with the operation of the electrical package.


Wave Energy Converter Research —  Advisor: Chris White

ABSTRACT: The Ocean Wave Energy project is a University supported pursuit of alternative energy extraction intended to research renewable energy in an open ocean environment. The design and analysis of a wave power buoy was a collective effort being completed by a team of six Mechanical Engineering Seniors. The purpose was to design a fully functional power generating buoy, which will be deployed in an open ocean environment, at the UNH Atlantic Marine Aquiculture Center.

With increasing energy demands, renewable energy sources are becoming more appealing, both economically and environmentally. The useful world-wide resource for wave energy has been estimated to be greater than 2 terawatts. Additionally, long term wave behavior is relatively predictable and consistent compared to wind and solar energy. Tidal energy remains the most predictable; however, the most ideal tidal sites are often shipping lanes.

Current wave energy converters operate on the order of 15% theoretical efficiency at best. It should be noted that only half the energy of a wave can be converted to useful energy, resulting in a maximum real efficiency of 50%. Because the field is not as well invested in as other technologies, it is likely this number can pushed higher with further research and testing.