Overview
- The Universitat Rovira i Virgili team, led by Francisco Huera, published results in the Journal of Fluids and Structures on a submerged cylinder that swings like a pendulum to harvest energy from flowing water.
- In water-channel experiments, a scaled cylinder on air bearings used a sensor to track oscillation and an electromagnetic brake to measure mechanical output.
- The device achieved a power coefficient of roughly 15%, about half of well-designed underwater turbines that typically capture 25–35% of available power.
- Only the structural cylinder is submerged while the shaft, transmissions and eventual generator can remain above water, reducing exposure to corrosion and biofouling.
- Researchers report no large-scale prototypes or cost studies yet and plan to optimize power extraction, widen the usable speed range and study interactions in multi-device arrays, with potential use in tidal flows, suitable rivers and even adapted wind applications.