Wave power from Norway
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Volume 17/Number 2/February 1986 quality in Latin America, Africa and now in Europe. In all, equipment has been provided for more than twenty countries worldwide. Dr Lloyd is presently training and supplying person- nel in the Peruvian Ministry of Health in a 2-year pro- gramme funded by the UK Overseas Development Administration. A similar project commences in Nicara- gua in January. David Wheeler, microbiologist at the University of Surrey, recently visited Mexico to advise on the provi- sion of safe water supplies and the maintenance of water quality monitoring in order to prevent any outbreak of epidemic disease. The visit was in response to a request from the Mexican Embassy and was sponsored by the Overseas Development Administration as part of the help Britain promised to the Mexican Government following the earthquake. Wave Power from Norway The world's first wave power demonstration plant was inaugurated in Norway during November 1985. Situated near Bergen, the two different prototypes in the plant have a combined installed capacity of 850 kW and have already produced 450 kW in relatively mild seas. One system is based on an oscillating water column (OWC) which uses the vertically, wave induced oscil- lations of a column of water in a chamber to induce and expel air past a unidirectional turbine that, in the proto- type, can produce up to 500 kW. The other system--Tapchan--utilizes a 90 m long, tapering concrete channel. As a volume of sea from an incoming wave rolls into the channel, the taper causes the water level to be raised. At the end of the channel, some of the water bursts into a storage reservoir 3 m above normal sea level. Water is discharged back to the sea via a Kaplan low head turbine (note that the reser- voir will help smooth out fluctuations in the supply to the turbine). Conservative estimates for both systems put costs of a commercial plant at around 4p per kWh. At present the main market of such systems will be in developing coun- tries and remote locations which depend on imported oil and coal for their electricity. SIMON DAVIES The Paqualab Water testing kit, one of two new portable water quality analysis systems developed by the University of Surrey. Aquatic Biochemistry Unit for UK A new unit, the NERC Unit in Aquatic Biochemistry, is to be established at the University of Stirling under the direction of Professor Sargent, formerly Director of the Institute of Marine Biochemistry and now Professor of Biological Science at the University. Initially NERC support will be for 5 years at an estimated total cost of £830 000. It is NERC policy that support for such Units is agreed for an initial period of 5 years, and subject to review after 4. This meets NERC's requirement for greater flexibility in the use of resources--both financial and in terms of manpower. Challenger to be Refitted The UK Natural Environment Research Council has placed a contract, to a total value of about £2.5 m, with Vospers Shiprepairers Limited to refit the Royal Research Ship Challenger. The ship's present steam turbine system will be replaced by a diesel-electric system and the scientific facilities will be improved to allow a wider range of more complex projects to be undertaken than is possible at present. In addition to performance, scientific gains and cost savings, the decision by NERC to re-engine and refur- bish facilities on the Challenger was influenced by the UK oceanographic community who felt that improve- ments would increase the ship's capability, to the greater benefit of NERC marine research. Challenger's endurance will be increased by the refit to 34 days from the present 20, and her operating costs will be significantly reduced. Two more berths for scientists are to be added and laboratory space increased by 30% to include separate fish, general, chemistry, wet, and con- trolled temperature operations laboratories with access to the working deck. She will also have a new scientific workshop, and a far greater instrument deployment capability with the installation of a new winch and gantry. Challenger will rejoin the three other research vessels of the NERC fleet when she is recommissioned in early June 1986. She then starts a series of research cruises for NERC marine institutes and the Universities of Swansea, East Anglia, and University College of North Wales. Projects in 1986 will include marine biology, physics and geophysics in the North and North East 51
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Transcript of Wave power from Norway
Volume 17/Number 2/February 1986
quality in Latin America, Africa and now in Europe. In all, equipment has been provided for more than twenty countries worldwide.
Dr Lloyd is presently training and supplying person- nel in the Peruvian Ministry of Health in a 2-year pro- gramme funded by the UK Overseas Development Administration. A similar project commences in Nicara- gua in January.
David Wheeler, microbiologist at the University of Surrey, recently visited Mexico to advise on the provi- sion of safe water supplies and the maintenance of water quality monitoring in order to prevent any outbreak of epidemic disease. The visit was in response to a request from the Mexican Embassy and was sponsored by the Overseas Development Administration as part of the help Britain promised to the Mexican Government following the earthquake.
Wave Power from Norway The world's first wave power demonstration plant was inaugurated in Norway during November 1985. Situated near Bergen, the two different prototypes in the plant have a combined installed capacity of 850 kW and have already produced 450 kW in relatively mild seas.
One system is based on an oscillating water column (OWC) which uses the vertically, wave induced oscil- lations of a column of water in a chamber to induce and expel air past a unidirectional turbine that, in the proto- type, can produce up to 500 kW.
The other system--Tapchan--utilizes a 90 m long, tapering concrete channel. As a volume of sea from an incoming wave rolls into the channel, the taper causes the water level to be raised. At the end of the channel, some of the water bursts into a storage reservoir 3 m above normal sea level. Water is discharged back to the sea via a Kaplan low head turbine (note that the reser- voir will help smooth out fluctuations in the supply to the turbine).
Conservative estimates for both systems put costs of a commercial plant at around 4p per kWh. At present the main market of such systems will be in developing coun- tries and remote locations which depend on imported oil and coal for their electricity.
SIMON DAVIES
The Paqualab Water testing kit, one of two new portable water quality analysis systems developed by the University of Surrey.
Aquatic Biochemistry Unit for UK A new unit, the NERC Unit in Aquatic Biochemistry, is to be established at the University of Stirling under the direction of Professor Sargent, formerly Director of the Institute of Marine Biochemistry and now Professor of Biological Science at the University. Initially NERC support will be for 5 years at an estimated total cost of £830 000. It is NERC policy that support for such Units is agreed for an initial period of 5 years, and subject to review after 4. This meets NERC's requirement for greater flexibility in the use of resources--both financial and in terms of manpower.
Challenger to be Refitted The UK Natural Environment Research Council has placed a contract, to a total value of about £2.5 m, with Vospers Shiprepairers Limited to refit the Royal Research Ship Challenger. The ship's present steam turbine system will be replaced by a diesel-electric system and the scientific facilities will be improved to allow a wider range of more complex projects to be undertaken than is possible at present.
In addition to performance, scientific gains and cost savings, the decision by NERC to re-engine and refur- bish facilities on the Challenger was influenced by the UK oceanographic community who felt that improve- ments would increase the ship's capability, to the greater benefit of NERC marine research.
Challenger's endurance will be increased by the refit to 34 days from the present 20, and her operating costs will be significantly reduced. Two more berths for scientists are to be added and laboratory space increased by 30% to include separate fish, general, chemistry, wet, and con- trolled temperature operations laboratories with access to the working deck. She will also have a new scientific workshop, and a far greater instrument deployment capability with the installation of a new winch and gantry.
Challenger will rejoin the three other research vessels of the NERC fleet when she is recommissioned in early June 1986. She then starts a series of research cruises for NERC marine institutes and the Universities of Swansea, East Anglia, and University College of North Wales. Projects in 1986 will include marine biology, physics and geophysics in the North and North East
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