A Turbine to Convert wave power to electricity

Abstract

Whilst the CDT Department of Durham Johnston Comprehensive School had always been aware of the Schools Design Prize Competition, no previous entry had ever been made. When Richard Marsh proposed his idea for a turbine to produce electricity from wave power, it was decided that this may form the basis for an entry.

The project arose because Richard was present in his father's office when discussion was taking place relating to the design of a turbine to extract power from an oscillating flow of air, such as the flow which is produced by certain types of wave energy device. Since the discussion was to specify a problem the description was entirely oral and no diagrams were drawn, and no suggestion was given as to possible .solutions. The following morning Richard produced a sketch of his turbine, which he subsequently produced at school during his CDT lesson. From his very basic sketch ideas it was clear that it would work, although at this stage I was not sure about its efficiency. It was therefore decided to produce a prototype which could be tested.

This in itself posed a problem. The Durham Johnston Copmrehensive School is a split-site school and Richard was in the first year at the lower school, some two miles away from the main site. Whilst good facilities exist for CDT at the lower site, no Technical Studies Club existed at that site at that time. The club has for many years operated at the upper site every Thursday evening, and Richard's father readily agreed to act as chauffeur. With this arrangement he managed to attend many sessions, and with modifications to his design so thiit the turbine could drive a small dynamo he mounted the device on a cofee tin so that it could be tested over water.