Fairbanks Nijhuis Develops Bi-Directional Turbine

Fairbanks Nijhuis, part of Pentair, has introduce a bi-directional turbine optimised  for generating energy from tides while being  almost 100% fish-friendly.

“The bi-directional turbine is an evolution of our low head turbine. The big difference between the two is that the existing turbine is only suitable for use in rivers because water can only pass the turbine in one direction, whereas the water can pass the bi-directional turbine in both directions,” said Raymond Meijnen, R&D engineer at Fairbanks Nijhuis.

According to the company, the turbine was originally developed for the Power consortium project in China.

“The bi-directional turbine, however, can also be used in for example the tidal power plant that will possibly be built at the Brouwersdam in the province of Zeeland,” Meijnen added.

He explained that part of the fish-friendly alterations to the turbine is the unique shape of the propeller vane which creates a favorable flow in the water that allows the fish to migrate safely through the turbine. In addition, the space between the propeller vanes is much wider, which substantially reduces the risk of impact.