87 / 96
Can you see a vortex
in the testing tank?
How is this photo like
the other laboratory
photo on this page?
How is it different?
Laboratory testing for the
hydro energy converter
Bernitsas’ device is a hydro energy
converter. It rests on the bottom of a river
or ocean bay. Gravity holds it in place. The
large, heavy, open box has several cylinder
shafts. The cylinders are positioned a
bit like the rod was positioned in your
waterwheel. The flow of the water makes
the cylinders move up and down instead of
round and round. This movement creates
electrical power.
What makes the cylinders move up and
down? Have you ever pulled a canoe paddle
through the water? If you look closely, you
might see a whirlpool spin off the end
of the paddle. That whirlpool is a vortex.
As the river or bay water flows over the cylinders, it creates a vortex.
The vortex changes the pressure on one side of the cylinder, causing
the cylinder to move away from the vortex. As a result, the cylinders
move up. When another vortex comes, they move down. The up-and-
down movement of the cylinders is used to generate electricity. This
is the process that Bernitsas and other engineers are using to generate
electricity.
87