Abstract
This report focuses on hydrokinetic power conversion. We use a simplified electrical system to clarify the hydrokinetic system and its associated controls. River and tidal generators can be mounted on the bottom of an estuary (see Figure 1 (a)), and they are very similar in shape to wind turbine generators. Other types of tidal or river generators have a structure similar to that of Savonius or Darrieus wind turbines, and they may be placed vertically or horizontally, depending on the resource and the site (see Figure 1 (b) and (c)). Of particular interest, the Gorlov helical turbine water turbine is a design that evolved from altering the Darrieus turbine design to have helical blades/foils. The Gorlov helical turbine was invented by Professor Alexander M. Gorlov of Northeastern University [1].