Translating Shuttle Foil Energy
Why This TechnologyThe Translating Shuttle Foil – also known as the Translating Wing or Linear Motion Foil kinetic energy harvesting process – has the potential to become an important worldwide clean energy production means for three reasons: it is simple, it is ultra-low cost, and it works! Read more below…
Translating Shuttle Foils
All Translating Shuttle Foil (TSF) variants can be scaled up to extreme size, giving this technology the ability to produce large volumes of endless clean low cost electricity.
We currently estimate a cost of less than one cent per kWh.
This cost estimate is based on similar shuttling kinetic energy harvesting approaches long used in non-generation applications such as the common sailboat and reaction ferry.
This means that TSF produced electricity could be an order of magnitude cheaper than the next closest energy production process.
TSF variants can harvest kinetic energy from any flow, wind or flowing water.
For flowing water harvesting, hydrokinetic TSF systems will not require dams because TSF hydrokinetic variants are designed to harvest kinetic energy from grade-level flows. Because of this radically different operating characteristic, TSF systems pose no known issues for the environment, wildlife or people.
Additionally, no electrical components need to be placed under the waterline.
No dams and no underwater electrical components are only two of the many revolutionary aspects of the TSF hydrokinetic harvesting approach.
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Translating Shuttle Foils: Core Approach
The TSF approach relies on using the roughly 7,500 year old technology of the common sail (also known as a foil or wing) to harvest kinetic energy from any flow.
By re-engineering / redeploying the common sail, a new application has been created for use in modern society: a universally installable, extreme scale, clean electricity generator.
No other electricity generation technology even comes close to TSF output, ultralow cost, safety, duration of operation, sustainability and universal installability.
The many inherent positive attributes of all TSF systems are numerous:
- TSF systems will be able to harvest in locations where other kinetic energy harvesting processes are simply not viable due to slow, inconsistent, or extreme flow velocities.
- TSF systems will be operable in truly extreme conditions, such as in Arctic regions, hot deserts, or even ‘slow velocity’ flow locations, as well as in tidal flows, and even ocean currents.
- TSF wind systems will be installable high across valleys, from mountainside to valley floors and across valley floors.
The ability to install TSF systems above one another, such as across valleys, means more efficient use of ground space. This gives the ability to access higher flow velocities typically found at higher altitudes. Wind velocities increase with elevation as there is less ground friction to slow the flow.
Hydrokinetic TSF systems will make it possible – for the first time ever – to cost effectively, sustainably, large-scale harvest the tremendous energy contained in ocean currents and tidal flows.
TSF Viability Proof
Proof of TSF viability is the common reaction ferry. Reaction ferries DO NOT have motors. The common reaction ferry relies on a simple version of the TSF approach to power themselves across rivers. Hundreds of ‘reaction ferries’ have been in constant operation worldwide for 500 years; they remain in use today because they are safe, reliable, sustainable, simple, (ultra) low cost and they work!
Even today hundreds of thousands of road travellers rely on these little ferries every year to move them and their vehicles across rivers worldwide.
Due to their ability to place extremely large foil areas into the flow, all TSF systems will not only have higher output potentials than any existing conventional kinetic energy harvesting process in use today but will also have higher harvesting efficiencies and well as longer harvesting duration per year.
These inherent attributes are due to the fact that TSF variants will have much lower flow velocity cut-in speeds, meaning they will be able to start producing meaningful amounts of electricity at lower flow speeds. And, due to their inherent design and operation, TSF systems will NOT have upper flow velocity cut-out speed restrictions, meaning all TSF systems could continue harvesting operations even throughout hurricane force winds (for TSF wind systems) or throughout extreme tidal flow velocities, for TSF hydrokinetic systems.
TSF wind systems will even be operable throughout heavy clear icing conditions due to the combination of flexible ‘sails’ and the ‘reversing / shuttling action’ movement of the TSF approach; the shuttling action is a ‘built-in natural ice shedding’ feature of all TSF wind systems as with every shuttle movement, any accumulated ice is naturally shed from system sails.
All these and many more inherent positive operational attributes, make the TSF wind variants highly viable for kinetic energy harvesting in just about any installation location on earth, regardless of flow velocity conditions, hence, TSF systems will be install-able in vastly more (virtually endless) locations worldwide, which could include locations much closer to consumer markets / industry.
How Translating Foil Systems Generate Energy
All TSF systems employ multiple articulated, large-area sails or foils/wings in a similar fashion to how sailboat sails employ sails.
Multiple sail/foil sets are installed on a set of wire-rope loop spans which are installed perpendicular to the known local flows.
The wire rope cable loops are retained at either end by large bullwheels (a.k.a large pulleys).
When the kinetic energy in the passing flow makes contact with the sail/foils, the foils are moved across the flow. The moving action of the foils across the flow causes the cable loops to turn the system-retention bullwheels. This is how the kinetic energy from the flow is converted into usable mechanical energy.
All aspects of each TSF unit’s harvesting process will be controlled via remotely located flow sensors and computers and can be coordinated with any number of TSF systems operating in a TSF farm or hive.