Specialists from the National Research University "MPEI" have developed a new power plant based on the structural features of humpback whale fins. This innovation uses the principles of biomimicry — when creating a hydraulic turbine, engineers took into account evolutionary features such as the shape and structure of the fins.
This design allows to increase the lifting force of the blades due to controlled vortex formation, which significantly increases the efficiency of the unit.
The power plant not only generates electricity, but also effectively uses the heat lost during energy conversion for heating and hot water supply. This development is ideal for remote areas with small rivers, providing electricity to consumers not connected to centralized power grids.
Rector of NRU "MPEI" Nikolay Rogalev noted that the use of nature-like technologies in the energy sector is an important step towards creating more environmentally friendly and efficient solutions. Prototypes of power plants with a capacity of 1 kW and 10 kW have already been created, which opens up prospects for their implementation in real conditions.
Read more on the topic:
Instead of Siemens: Russia started producing new gas turbines with a capacity of 170 MW
Without Siemens and General Electric: Russia got rid of imports of large gas turbines
In Russia, Swedish-Swiss turbochargers for high-power diesels were replaced by domestic ones
