Energies 2013, 6, 1497-1526; doi:10.3390/en6031497
energies
ISSN 1996-1073
www.mdpi.com/journal/energies
Review
2002–2012: 10 Years of Research Progress in Horizontal-Axis
Marine Current Turbines
Kai-Wern Ng 1, Wei-Haur Lam 1,* and Khai-Ching Ng 2
1 Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya,
Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia; E-Mail: kwluffy@hotmail.com
2 Center for Advanced Computational Engineering (CACE), Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Km. 7, Jalan IKRAM-UNITEN, 43000 Kajang, Selangor Darul Ehsan,
Malaysia; E-Mail: NkChing@uniten.edu.my
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: wlam@um.edu.my;
Tel.: +603-7967-7675; Fax: +603-7967-5318.
Received: 30 November 2012; in revised form: 13 February 2013 / Accepted: 26 February 2013 /
Published: 6 March 2013
Abstract: Research in marine current energy, including tidal and ocean currents, has
undergone significant growth in the past decade. The horizontal-axis marine current turbine
is one of the machines used to harness marine current energy, which appears to be the most
technologically and economically viable one at this stage. A number of large-scale marine
current turbines rated at more than 1 MW have been deployed around the World. Parallel to
the development of industry, academic research on horizontal-axis marine current turbines
has also shown positive growth. This paper reviews previous research on horizontal-axis
marine current turbines and provides a concise overview for future researchers who might
be interested in horizontal-axis marine current turbines. The review covers several main
aspects, such as: energy assessment, turbine design, wakes, generators, novel modifications
and environmental impact. Future trends for research on horizontal-axis marine current
turbines are also discussed.
Keywords: marine renewable energy; horizontal-axis marine current turbine; marine
current energy assessment; marine current turbine wake; generator
OPEN ACCESS
