Alaska Hydro-flow Generator

Abstract

Intense multidisciplinary scientific research is conducted at the Bering Glacier in Southwest Alaska. To power the remotely located research camps there, gasoline is flown in by bush planes and used to fuel portable gasoline generators. Such transportation of gasoline is dangerous both to the transporters and the environment. To address this issue, the University of Michigan’s Hydrodynamic Laboratories has requested our assistance in designing and developing a portable hydroelectric generator for use at these research camps. This generator would environmentally utilize the abundant energy available in the nearby Alaskan rivers to satisfy the research camps and native villages’ power needs.