Design and implementation of an innovative wind power system for beach erosion protection and nourishment

Abstract

Beach erosion phenomena have become increasingly frequent and devastating with serious economic damage on tourism. A relatively recent technique of beach protection and nourishment is based on the creation along the shoreline of an unsaturated sandy zone, in which the level of the phreatic surface is lowered by means of buried drains connected to electric suction pumps. The main problem encountered in this solution is the need to guarantee the drainage when the erosive activity is maximum in the presence of intense thunderstorms that often produce malfunction and outage problems of the power supply. This paper shows the realization of a “green” solution based on a totally mechanical design and construction approach, achieved by connecting a 3.5-meter single-bladed wind turbine to a submerged axial pump with optimized volute by means of a vertical shaft placed inside the tower. The system is managed by a mechanical pitch controller studied for starting and limiting power in exceptional winds.