4. CURRENT CATCHER BARGES MAINTAIN MAXIMUM WATER PRESSURE ON LARGE HIGH DRAG COEFFICIENT TURBINE BLADES

MEC's Current Catcher Barge is illustrated with a 4 caisson mooring. The mooring is a fix heading moorings for shallow water. This mooring allows the barge to change elevation with water level changes and keeps its turbine blades at their optimum elevation at all times. Current Catcher Barges are able to also support submerged current turbines which can be raise for transport and maintenance and l

This Current Catcher Barge's 4 caisson mooring can also support highway bridges. The bridge provides rapid maintenance crew and crane access, power cable support, etc.

The use of shared infrastructure significantly improves the economics for the bridge and the Current Catcher Barges.

The Current Catcher Barges are able to also support submerged current turbines which can be raise for transport and m

Current Catcher Barges can be spread moored in most water depths and change elevation automatically with water level changes. 

The barges can support both surface and underwater current turbines and provide safe year-round maintenance for the turbines and equipment. 

The surface turbines are large diameter buoyant cans with large high drag-coefficient blades and end plates. With high tolerance conca

Underwater current turbines can be raised for barge transport and year-round onsite maintenance and can weathervane 360 degrees under the barge as the current direction changes for maximum power generation.

The Current Catcher Barge’s tapered bow and stern pontoons direct current to the surface turbines. The under-turbine concave plates and the turbine’s end plates confine the current pressure on the lowest turbine blades for maximum power generation. The buoyant turbine cans and side pontoons provide barge buoyancy and stability.

Spread moored Current Catcher Barges are also able to support deep water bridges through a wide range of water surface and seabed elevation changes. The bridges help provide quick, low cost and very safe year-round maintenance access, power cable support, etc.

The concave under-turbine plates, turbine cans and turbine end plates maintain maximum water pressure on the large high drag coefficient sur