Research

ARPA-E: Bio-Inspired Renewable Energy (BIRE) for Highly-efficient Low-cost Riverine Hydrokinetics

In this project, we are focused on maximizing the energy extraction efficiency of a Bio-Inspired Renewable Energy (BIRE) hydrokinetic turbine for electricity generation to be used from remote villages to large cities. Our efforts in understanding and optimizing the hydrodynamics of the BIRE device are part of a collaborative effort with researchers at three other institutions that will be contributing power generator, controls, and structural expertise. Our BIRE research will result in levelized costs of energy and an environmental impact that is lower than in current hydroelectric river-based power generation. The bio-inspired hydrodynamics component of this research is led by Prof. Keith Moored and funded by the Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). The research consortium for this work includes collaborators at the University of Virginia, Virginia Institute of Technology, and Sandia National Laboratories.

NSF Collaborative Research: Unsteady Ground Effect: How Solid Boundaries Affect Bio-Inspired Propulsion

Many animals fly or swim near the surface of water or the ocean floor. The presence of these boundaries creates unsteady, three-dimensional, and asymmetrical flows, which lead to alterations in animals swimming speed, force production and energetics. Despite the importance of these flying and swimming conditions, little research has probed these flows and there are no good models that exist for biologists studying near-ground biomechanics or for engineers designing near-ground bio-inspired underwater vehicles. Better models of unsteady ground effect could reshape the way biologists think about the flight strategies of birds migrating over open water or the evolutionary pressures shaping the morphologies of bottom-dwelling fish. Better models would also reshape the way engineers think about bio-inspired vehicles that operate near a boundary. The numerical hydrodynamics component of this research is led by Prof. Keith Moored and funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) through a collaborative award shared with the University of Virginia’s Prof. Daniel Quinn of the Fluid Systems Lab.

NSF CAREER: Three-Dimensional Unsteady Flow Interactions in Flocks and Schools

Fish schools are fascinating examples of self-organization in nature. They serve many purposes from enhanced foraging, and protection to improved socialization and migration. However, our understanding of the hydrodynamic interactions in schools is primitive. It has been postulated that these interactions can regulate energy usage and speed, as well as push and pull individuals thereby altering the school’s structure and function. We have discovered that stable arrangements of swimmers can arise in schools through passive hydrodynamic forces alone. In these stable arrangements, swimmers also experience speed and efficiency benefits. This opens the door to considering that the structure and function of fish schools may be more strongly regulated by hydrodynamic interactions than previously known. Our work will aid in the design of bio-inspired multi-agent collectives. Moreover, our work will provide better estimates of the energy budget of schooling animals, and, in turn, help scientists determine how fragile biological networks are to overfishing, loss of habitat and the changing climate.

ONR MURI: Bio-Inspired Flexible Propulsors for Fast, Efficient Swimming: What Physics are we Missing?

We are discovering the science behind the fluid-structure interactions of bio-propulsors that allow fish to achieve high-speed, high-efficiency locomotion. This work is part of a large Multi-disciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) that is examining non-traditional propulsion. Our team focuses on leveraging numerical simulations and targeted experiments to investigate the interplay of flexibility, fin-fin interactions, and kinematic motions, which lead to the discovery of the underlying scaling laws of bio-propulsion. Our research is laying the groundwork for designing next-generation bio-inspired underwater vehicles that are fast, efficient, maneuverable, and stealthy. This research is funded by the Office of Naval Research and the rapid numerical hydrodynamic simulations as well as some oscillating hydrofoil experiments are led by Prof. Keith Moored. The research consortium for this project includes teams of investigators at the University of Virginia, West Chester University, Princeton University, and Harvard University.