An overview of blade materials and technologies for hydrokinetic turbine application

Hydrokinetic turbines experience a harsh hydrodynamic environment with complex vortical flows which increase failure probability. The selection of turbine blade material is extremely critical to maintain its performance, reduce maintenance costs and prevent significant down time. The trade-off between material strength and cost is an important factor that needs to be considered for a hydrokinetic turbine. This article gives a brief overview in existing solution for the materials used for hydrokinetic turbine blades discussing the advantages and disadvantages of various materials in terms of relative performance and life-cycle assessment. This overview can provide a fundamental criterion to researcher and policy makers for selection of materials used in hydrokinetic turbine application.