Hanna Wave and Tidal Power Drives was founded in Coos Bay, Oregon in 2010. Over the past decade, inventor John Clark Hanna, has designed innovative Power Take-Offs (PTO) for international wave and tidal energy developers. New in 2023, is a novel Wave Energy Converter (WEC) called the "MultiWEC" drive system. This versatile PTO is unique. It supports five major types of wave and tidal energy conversion technologies. Click HERE to read information on this 'open source' technology. The MultiWEC drive is simple which is an absolute necessity in order to have a robust and reliable PTO. Other, competing WEC designs are over engineered; their complexity drives up costs and lowers their reliability. The harsh marine environment demands a simple design like the MultiWEC. Because Global Warming is an existential threat, the MultiWEC technology is freely offered to any and all marine renewable energy developers around the world. Consult with Mr. Hanna if you have questions.
Recently, another patent, the Hanna Impulse/Reaction Turbine, (US 8,358,026) was sold to an established tidal developer in the UK in January, 2020. The unique turbine has a versatile drive train which allows it to be utilized either as a wave energy converter or as a bi-directional tidal energy converter.
To help stimulate the emerging 'Blue Economy', the Hanna Mono-radial wave turbine technology has been designated as 'open source' and is now available for free to global wave energy developers and manufacturers. The fractional scale turbine is ideal for providing low-wattage power to charge batteries on extended mission data collection buoys. A full size unit will develop utility grade power. The Hanna Mono-radial wave turbine harvests energy from the up and down movement of ocean waves by means of the OWC (Oscillating Water Column) principle. OWC technologies are the most mature and well-studied wave conversion systems in the marine energy sector.
Another Hanna invention, the patented MultiDrive, (U.S. 8,745,981), has been sold to a wave energy developer in San Diego, California. The device is a mechanical direct-drive PTO which converts linear, bi-directional motion into a one-way rotary motion. The MultiDrive PTO serves shore-based installations, surface buoys or subsurface power buoys that are hidden from view. The subsurface MultiDrive system is energized by pressure differentials that exist between the surface and the submerged buoy's lowest point. This allows a wave's energy to be harvested efficiently without the need for complicated and expensive phase control strategies. Because the entire wave converter is below the surface, it is never exposed to destructive storms; it can be built of lighter materials and uses a taught three-point mooring system. These factors combined represent significant cost savings, lowering LCOE dramatically.
Both the Hanna Mono-radial turbine and the Hanna MultiDrive PTO can be placed on breakwaters, jetties or floating platforms. Environmental studies done on existing shore based OWC installations have resulted in FONSI (Findings of no Significant Impact). Hanna shore based power plants will not interfere with marine life, maritime traffic, commercial fishing or recreational activities.
For more information on the Hanna Mono-radial Turbine, the patented Hanna MultiDrive PTO or the Hanna Bi-Directional Tidal Turbine, go to Page Two by clicking HERE.
