Engineers working on the development of Bourne Tidal Test Site (BTTS) in Massachusetts have been field testing a simulation of the data acquisition system that will be installed on the actual tidal turbine test structure.
The team of engineers, inventors and scientists are collaborating to see firsthand how fast the water is moving in the Cape Cod Canal and how much power can be harnessed once a turbine is installed, Marine Renewable Energy Collaborative (MRECo) said.
They have conducted several small-scale demonstrations in waters near Buzzards Bay, using a series of small parts and home spun resources to show how data from the FSI ACM Current Meter can be collected, processed and transmitted around the world via sophisticated telemetry.
The real time current data was captured by an ACM-PLUS-200 acoustic current meter supplied by Falmouth Scientific. It is measuring current in meters per second, and the data is then being processed using software provided by piRshared, according to MRECo.
The processed data will eventually be transmitted through a powerful computer that will be installed on top of the tidal test structure. The data will then be transmitted to the MRECo website for display.
The data output is being hosted at a web site which was created by Bradshaw Lupton of piRshared, which is supplying system design, integration, many small and big parts and a demonstration site located close to the canal.
The tests are being conducted ahead of the installation of the test structure for the BTTS which will begin once the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) issues the final permit.
It will feature steel test structure comprising two pilings joined by a bridge with test turbine mounted onto the bridge in the Cape Cod Canal.