ATS awarded US$1 million DOE grant

28 July 2014


Amjet Turbine Systems, LLC (ATS) has been awarded a $1 million grant from the US Department of Energy (DOE) to support manufacturing efforts for the Amjet ATS-63 low-head hydroelectric turbine/generator.

The grant comes from the DOE's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II program, and is part of DOE efforts to encourage small businesses in development of advanced energy technologies.

The ATS-63, now in development for customer orders in 2015 is designed for new and existing hydroelectric sites with 5 to 42ft in head, and 310 to 925ft3/sec of flow. Multiple units can be installed in series for sites with higher head, or in parallel for sites with higher flows.

Named for the 63-inch internal diameter of its turbine housing, the ATS-63 integrates the turbine and generator into a single unit. According to the company, the compact size and light weight will mean less civil construction requirements, more flexible site arrangements, and overall lower costs compared to current low-head hydroelectric technologies.

The ATS-63 features variable speed operation made possible by power electronics, eliminating mechanical turbine blade pitch controls and wicket gates and associated complexity. For easy maintenance, the entire unit has been designed to be removed, repaired, and re-installed in only one day.

The ATS-63 can be applied in a wide variety of new and retrofit sites. It can be installed in any axis orientation (horizontal to vertical), in a weir or bulkhead, in a conduit or irrigation canal, or in a syphon over an existing dam, says the company.

Amjet previously received funding from the DOE SBIR Phase I program that supported development of the full-scale design for the ATS-63. "This additional DOE SBIR Phase II grant will enable us to continue rapid development of our market-disruptive technology", said Paul Roos, ATS VP-Technology, "It will help us move forward to the manufacturing phase."

An in-depth article on the ATS-63 is included on pp20-22 of the July 2014 issue of International Water Power & Dam Construction



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