June 27, 2011
THOR's ROC-Flume Operational
THOR designed, built and now owns and operates its own open channel recirculating water flume that has unique water current simulation capabilities, including;
- Ability to tailor water speed versus depth profile (vertical sheer) on demand via 24 individually controllable thruster motors
- Programmable water current run schedules that change flow speeds and sheer characteristics from one predetermined state to another predetermined state (i.e. simulate changing flow conditions over time like ocean current variations or tidal forward/reverse conditions)
- Speeds up to 2.5m/s forward flow and 1.5m/s reverse flow direction
- Ability to simulate flow turbidity characteristics by pulsing individual thruster throttle controls
- Ability to simulate upstream waked flow by adjusting individual thruster throttle controls
THOR's ROC-Flume includes a variable position acoustic Doppler velocimeter (ADV), a fixed acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) and a multi-level pitot tube array for precise water current speed measurements in the 8 foot deep, 4 foot wide test section. THOR will deploy a scaled model of its ocean current turbine in the ROC-Flume later this summer and expects to conduct a systematic testing program lasting about 6 months.
May 6, 2011
THOR's ROC-Flume Nearing Operational Status
THOR's unique open channel re-circulating ocean current flume (ROC-Flume) took one large leap forward today with the final delivery to THOR's Fairfax, OH facility. The ROC-Flume is capable of creating time variant inverse velocity sheer water currents that closely mimic real world ocean current behavior. The ROC-Flume will be used to further develop and fine tune THOR's Power Method - a method of operating an ocean current turbine that promises to deliver 'always-on', base-load energy 24x7x365. THOR is presently developing 2 scale models for deployment into the ROC-Flume later this summer.
April 4, 2011
THOR Expands to New Offices and Adds New Engineering Staff
THOR has acquired additional office space near its Cincinnati headqauarters to accomodate new engineering personnel beginning in April, 2011. With backgrounds in electrical and aeronautical engineering, THOR's expanded engineering staff will occupy the new offices with a focus on completion of the first two scale model ocean current turbines to be deployed and tested in THOR's ROC-Flume.
March 10, 2011
THOR to Present at Renewable Energy World, Tampa, March 10, 2011
THOR has been invited to speak and participate in a breakout session entitled "Making Progress in Developing Ocean/Tidal/Instream Power Projects". While the Renewable Energy World Conference is a gathering of all renewable energy types and is expected to draw about 12,000 attendees, this Thursday morning break-out session focuses on hydrokinetic renewable energy.
March 3, 2011
THOR Takes Delivery of the ROC-Flume Hydrodynamic Testing Container Shell
THOR accepted delivery today of what will become the world's only open channel recirculating water flume capable of creating time variant inverse velocity sheer water currents that closely mimic real world ocean current behavior. Over the next 45-60 days, the ROC-Flume will be outfitted with a variety of new hardware including end returns, motor shelves, flow dividers, two ADCPs, a pitot tube array, mooring facilities, test section viewing windows, as well as the computer hardware and software required to run the entire ROC-Flume facility. At full power, the 8x4 thruster motor array with 32 individually programmable and controllable fully submerged propeller driven electric motors will draw some 60 kilowatts (kW) from Duke Energy's electrical service installed at THOR's Fairfax, Ohio building. Turner Hunt remarked that, "THOR's Fairfax facility is a perfect venue to house this revolutionary new hydrodynamic testing facility that will form the basis for the validation of our breakthrough ocean current turbine power control method [THOR's Power Method] that will vault ocean current energy into the base-load power generation category".
December 30, 2010
THOR's US Patents Disseminated in US-PTO Early Publications
Four of THOR's five US non-provisional patent applications published under the 'early publication' guidelines from the USPTO. These patents are currently in a pending status and the actual granting of the patents is expected in mid-2012.
October 30, 2010
THOR Completes Model Scale Electrical Generator Dynamometer - the Dyno-THOR
Because power feedback and control is an important aspect of THOR's ocean current turbine technology, the need to test, calibrate and measure the power output from electrical axial flux generators that will be constructed and installed in THOR's scale model renewable ocean current turbine (ROCT) while the scale model operates in the ROC-Flume is a very important aspect of the scale model control system. A generator dynamometer, which measures torque and power input, as well as torque, power and electrical energy output from the generator mounted in the dynamometer is an indispensible testing apparatus to measure and calibrate each particular generator that will be used with the scale model ROCT. Upon completion of the Dyno-THOR today, Turner Hunt remarked, "Since the measure of the generator's power output is one of the primary feedback parameters in the control of our scale model ROCT, we need to understand how clean we can expect the power signal to be and how it varies with RPM, input torque and other parameters. The Dyno-THOR also provides a water tight enclosed volume into which we can submerge each electrical generator to understand operation in the fully submersed environment prior to deployment in the ROC-Flume for continued research, development and testing.
October 21, 2010
THOR Attends National Renewable Energy Labs (NREL) 23rd Annual Industry Growth Forum
The NREL three-day forum highlighted clean energy industry technology and business developments. More than $3.4 billion has been raised by companies presenting at the Forum since 2003. NREL also hosted Clean Energy Opportunity Forum showcasing the latest clean energy opportunities in Colorado and across the country. NREL's unique 'shotgun dating' session allowed THOR personnel to meet with 10 different potential investors/funding sources including Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, ARPA-E (Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy), Siemens, General Electric, Lockheed Martin, Good Energies, CMEA Capital, Rockport Capital, and several others.
October 15, 2010
THOR Applaudes Atlantic Wind Connection's Proposed HVDC Transmission Line off the Coast of VA, DE, MD, NJ & NY
THOR today applauded the Atlantic Wind Connection's (AWC) proposed HVDC undersea transmission line of the coasts of VA, DE, MD, NJ & NY intended to jump start to development and deployment of offshore wind farms off the coast of the Northeastern United States. Atlantic Wind Connection is backed by Trans-Elect, Good Energies, Google and Marubeni Corp. There are currently a half dozen offshore wind farms now going through the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's review process to build offshore wind farms off the coast of the Northeastern United States. The AWC proposed submarine HVDC transmission line will have a capacity of 6,000MW – but on average will only have 2,400MW flowing through it given the 40% (or so) capacity factor if all these proposed offshore wind farms were actually built. That leaves 3,600MW of 'wasted capacity' in the line owing mainly to the intermittency of the wind resource. If AWC were to extend their HVDC line 'around the NC outer bank corner' to the Gulf Stream area, THOR could design/deploy an ocean current farm array that could effectively fill the AWC transmission line and keep it at full capacity (using THOR's power feedback technology) when the wind in the Northeast was not blowing, or not blowing enough to keep the line at capacity. Thus the AWC line could carry clean renewable energy from both wind and ocean current.
September 10, 2010
THOR Awarded Dept. of Energy (DoE) Grant for Marine Hydrokinetic Development by the DoE's Wind and Water Program Office
THOR was notified today that its recent application to the funding opportunity announcement (FOA) issued by the DoE's Wind and Water program office was selected for funding. The complete list of funded projects is listed here. The research project will demonstrate a breakthrough power control method that maximizes performance and power output of an ocean current turbine device. The project will test, demonstrate and validate THOR's Power Method that can provide dramatic increases to the capacity factor and output of ocean current turbines relative to existing MHK devices.
July 28, 2010
THOR Attends HydroVision Conference in Charlotte, NC
A large hydroelectric industry event occurred over the last several days which was attended by THOR personnel. While primarily focused on conventional impoundment dam hydro-electric power, there were several sessions and speakers addressing the emerging field of hydrokinetic power generation including National Renewable Energy Labs (NREL) and Dept. of Energy Wind & Water Program presentations, as well as some tidal resource technology companies. There were no presenters/sessions dedicated to ocean current energy.
June 30, 2010
THOR Files 5 Non-Provisional US and Foreign Utility Patents on Ocean Current Turbine Technology
THOR converted its 5 provisional US patent applications filed in May and August of 2009 into non-provisional status by today filing the final drafts of all 5 applications. The US Patent Office is expected to early publish these applications by the end of 2010, and then examine and review of all 5 patents by mid-2012 prior to an 'PTO office action' and the subsequent granting of each patent application.
May 5, 2010
THOR Files Application for Funding in Responses to the US Dept. of Energy Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for Marine Hydrokinetic Energy
THOR filed its application in response to the Dept. of Energy's Wind and Water Program FOA for marine and hydrokinetic energy today for a research and development effort aimed at a technology readiness level four (TRL4 – 'scale model in a laboratory environment') demonstration and validation of the Company's breakthrough THOR's Power Method by proposing the construction of a unique water flume hydrodynamic testing facility to house/test/validate a scale model of THOR's renewable ocean current turbine (THOR's ROCT). Turner Hunt remarked, "With this application, and if we are lucky enough to be selected by the DoE review staff, we have a chance to clearly demonstrate over the course of the project that renewable energy has a new, viable and base-load fuel type, namely ocean current energy which has been mostly overlooked in favor of the other hydrokinetic 'fuel types' which include moving water from tidal, wave, and river based resources. We hope to demonstrate, through the use of our technology, that ocean current energy is the only hydrokinetic fuel source that can truly provide base-load power generation with capacity factors in excess of 80%".
April 12, 2010
THOR Acquires Fairfax, Ohio Building to House a Unique Hydrodynamic Testing Facility
THOR today signed a lease on a 5,000 square foot building in Fairfax, Ohio which formerly housed a drive thru car wash known as the Wooster Wash. The Fairfax building will house THOR's ROC-Flume which will provide the primary hydrodynamic testing facility to experimentally demonstrate and validate the Company's ocean current turbine technology without the need to rent, arrange, acquire and schedule other expensive marine hydrodynamic testing facilities elsewhere in the Country. THOR's ROC-Flume is expected to deliver testing capabilities not currently offered by any other marine testing facilities in the Country. Turner Hunt remarked, "It is fitting that this Fairfax building, which is no stranger to the presence of moving water in its previous life as a car wash, will house one of the newest and most advanced ocean current energy hydrodynamic testing facilities with capabilities not found in any other facility that we know of".
March 16, 2010
GL-Garrad Hassan Completes Energy Yield Analysis on THOR's ROCT
GL-Garrad Hassan today completed and delivered the energy yield assessment of the THOR ocean current turbine operating according to THOR's Power Method. Turner Hunt remarked after first review of the report, "This exhaustive energy yield prediction report based on our proprietary ocean current turbine operating methods, including THOR's Power Method, provides an independent third party analysis by one of the most reputable renewable energy consultancy firms in the World, and the results indicate that ocean current turbine net capacity factors above 80% are indeed achievable with our device and our operating methods. We hope to further investigate and validate the results with follow-on studies given the availability of additional ADCP resource data in the very near future."
November 21, 2009
THOR Commissions GL-Garrad Hassan to Perform Energy Yield Assessment Analysis
World renown renewable energy experts, GL-Garrad Hassan, was today engaged by THOR to perform an energy yield assessment of THOR's ocean current turbine design as it operates according to THOR's Power Method. THOR has provided GL-GH with 6 months' worth of ADCP data acquired in 2005 and 2006 from a location in the core of the Gulf Stream about 15 miles due east of Ft. Lauderdale, FL from a bottom moored 75kHz Teledyne RDI Long Ranger ADCP with 30 minute ensemble intervals. Turner Hunt remarked at the signing, "With Garrad Hassan's expertise in resource assessment and energy yield prediction, both in the wind industry and now the marine hydrokinetic space, we can anticipate nothing less than the best engineering analysis and a brutally honest evaluation of our technology – an set of answers that will guide the future development of our turbines as we mature our technology towards full scale deployment".
August 23, 2009
THOR Files Second Multi-Part Provisional Patent Applications with the USPTO
THOR files the second multi-part provisional patent application with the US Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) culminating a two year design study into ocean current turbine technology. The recent USPTO filings will form the basis of THOR's ocean current turbine intellectual property. The provisional applications provide the 'time-stamp' on the date of idea conception. The USPTO requires a final draft filing within 12 months for the non-provisional final draft applications.
July 10, 2009
THOR Receives Nation-Wide Permit #5 from the Army Corps to Deploy an ADCP
THOR today received notice from the Army Corps of Engineers that its Clean Water Act Nation-Wide Permit #5 had been granted to deploy a bottom mounted acoustic Doppler current profiler in 480 meters of water depth in offshore protraction block #6705 in region NG-17 about 15 miles east off the coastline of Ft. Lauderdale, FL.
May 24, 2009
THOR Files First of Two Multi-Part Provisional Patent Applications
THOR files the first multi-part provisional patent application with the US Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) which represents several novel aspects of ocean current turbine technology that has been in development over the last two years. THOR expects to file additional provisional applications prior to converting each to an actual non-provisional patent application.
May 15, 2009
THOR Files with MMS
THOR filed a notice with MMS to secure several offshore protraction blocks under the interim lease policy guidelines for deployment of a prototype ocean current turbine.
April 17, 2009
THOR contributes to Florida Atlantic University Center for Ocean Current Energy (FAU-COET)
THOR announced today that it has made a meaningful contribution to the Florida Atlantic University corporate partnering program in support of FAU's Center for Ocean Energy Technology. Turner Hunt visited the FAU Dania Beach Campus to make the donation on behalf of THOR. FAU-COET is undertaking device independent ocean energy research studies into potential environmental impacts of ocean current turbines. FAU-COET will also deploy up to 4 ADCPs on the coast of Ft. Lauderdale in the coming months. Turner Hunt remarked, "We are looking forward to cooperating and working with FAU-COET, Sue Skemp, Rick Driscoll, Howard Hanson and the Center's team as they embark on uncovering many of the most important and key answers to questions concerning environmental impact of these ocean energy devices. Their work will be indispensible as this industry matures and it will set one of the cornerstones for future environmental investigations".
October, 2008
THOR compiles Southeastern USA CODAR and WERA Ocean Current Surface Speed Data
In a continuing effort to assess and quantify the Gulf Stream as a potential renewable energy resource, THOR, LLC announced today that is has completed compilation of a comprehensive ocean current surface speed database spanning 10 years' worth of data from all available Coastal Observation and Data Acquisition Radar (CODAR) and (Wave Radar) WERA system measurements taken by instruments deployed on the Southeastern United States Coastline. There are currently 3 such high frequency radar systems (HF-Radar) operated by the (1) Univ. of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science operates a WERA system that covers some 100 sq. miles south of Miami, FL, (2) the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography operates a WERA system near Savannah, GA that extends radial arcs over 100 miles offshore to capture the Gulf Stream surface currents in the 'Great Bend' as the Gulf Stream turns Northeastward on its way up the SC and NC coastlines and (3) the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill operates a CODAR system off Duck and Hatteras, NC. This data was obtained from each of the three sources as well as the National Data Buoy Center. An SQL database was used to store the data and provide quick retrieval of specific time segments for various analysis purposes. THOR was able to generate geospatial location specific speed contour maps for the Gulf Stream ocean current in these 3 regions and analyze the statistical trends in the current speed data and direction of travel. Preliminary analysis of the compiled data show a remarkably consistent current flow that does not meander outside of the core centerline area with ranges of directional change and standard deviations in current speed.
August, 2008
THOR LLC formed by Vison Energy, LLC
Vision Energy, LLC, an onshore wind power development company based in Cincinnati, OH announced today that it formed Turner Hunt Ocean Renewable, LLC or THOR to explore opportunities in the ocean current energy renewable space. Buoyed by recent successes in the wind power industry, Vision is looking to other renewable technologies that have been overlooked in recent years, yet hold the promise of equaling the installed base of conventional hydropower capacity of approximately 100 gigawatts.