Hydroelectric power accounts for about 6% of the total U.S. energy “pie.” But this renewable source isn’t as efficient as it could be. Some energy is lost because of a phenomenon called cavitation that damages the turbines. Researchers in Professor Ryo Amano’s lab are working on minimizing cavitation to squeeze out more energy and add to the lifespans of turbines.
Spectrum News recently featured three members of Amano’s lab in a broadcast report: Doctoral students Kada Kada and Asma Khasawneh, and postdoctoral researcher Ahmad Abdel Hadi showed reporter Phillip Boudreaux how they inject air into the working hydro turbines to keep the pressure high as the water passes through.
The goal is to reduce vibrations and the effect of bubbles that occur when they move from a liquid state to a vapor state. Then they use a high-speed camera to analyze the outcomes in real time. The researchers also are testing various designs of the turbine itself to address the problem. Watch the report.