Blue Energy Development Of The Davis Hydro Turbine

The key component of the Blue Energy Power System is the Davis Hydro Turbine. Reinvented by eminent Canadian aeronautic and hydrodynamic engineer Barry V. Davis, the Davis Turbine is based on the undeveloped 1927 patent on a vertical axis windmill by French inventor Georges Darrieus.

The development lineage of the Davis turbine is directly linked to two engineering marvels that preceded its development - the famous Avro Arrow supersonic jet developed by the Canadian government, and the D'Havilland Bras D'Or 400 naval destroyer produced by the Canadian navy. Barry Davis was an aerospace engineer on the Avro Arrow and chief hydrodynamicist on Bras O'Dor Hydrofoil project. The hydrofoil propulsion system on the Bras D'Or allowed the 225 tonne ship to ride atop the water at a top speed of over 65 knots and paved the way for future design work on the Davis Hydro Turbine. Barry Davis also worked as Design Section Chief on Canadair's new RJ55 jet airplane.

Blue Energy's predecessor, Nova Energy Ltd., successfully built and field-tested two experimental test units and three prototype Davis Hydro Turbines through a $1.3 million, 10-year collaborative R&D program with the National Research Council of Canada. An additional unit was developed in 1984 with private funds, and deployed the following year in the Florida Gulfstream.

The technical feasibility of the Davis Hydro Turbine is supported by independent engineering assessments.

Funding extended to the Davis Hydro Turbine by the Canadian National Research Council was curtailed in the late 1980s. However, at that time, Dr. Bruce D. Pratte, Director of NRC's Coastal Engineering Program stated that:

"It was felt that the (Davis Hydro Turbine) technology was sufficiently well proven that the next step in its evolution should be market driven, requiring investment by the private sector, utilities, or other governments."

Read about the Davis Hydro Turbine here.

Read about Davis Hydro Turbine prototypes here.