Atlantis finishes tidal turbine tests at Narec facility

Oct 15, 2012 - UK-based marine energy developer Atlantis Resources Corp has completed tests of its 1-MW AR1000 tidal turbine at the National Renewable Energy Centre (Narec) in Blyth, Northumberland, northeastern England.

This is the first tidal turbine testing programme to be carried out at Narec's new 3-MW onshore turbine drive train testing facility, Narec said on Sunday.

The company conducted two weeks of accelerated life tests in a demanding, simulated offshore operating environment that allowed it to collect performance data corresponding to four months of tidal exchanges. The programme involved tests to gather information about drive train efficiency, control system validation and the analysis of the thermal properties of key components under full electrical load.

Atlantis chief executive Tim Cornelius said the results had given the company's engineers confidence in the turbine's performance and reliability. The data would now be assessed by the company and its technology contractors and would be fed into future design considerations, Cornelius said, adding that Atlantis planned to keep investing in onshore and offshore testing.

Tony Quinn, Narec operations director, said the accelerated life tests would "significantly advance the development cycle for tidal turbines and give developers in the UK a real edge as the marine energy industry approaches commercialisation."

The AR1000 was transported to Narec after open ocean testing at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney, Scotland.

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