PRIMRE/Glossary
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PRIMRE Glossary
PRIMRE Terminology is adopted from IEC TS 62600-1:2011, Marine energy - Wave, tidal and other water current converters - Part 1: Terminology. IEC terms defined by TC114 are available on the IEC Glossary. For more information about international standards for marine energy conversion systems, refer to the IEC TC 114 website.
| Term | Acronym | Definition |
| Annual energy production (marine energy converter) | AEP | Estimate of total energy production of a marine energy converter system during a one-year period obtained by applying its power performance assessment to a prospective marine energy resource characterization and assuming 100 % availability, IEC Electropedia |
| Archimedes screw | A helical surface surrounding a ventral cylindrical shaft. Energy is generated as water flow moves up the spiral and rotates the device. PRIMRE Basics | |
| Attenuator device | Energy converter which is aligned parallel to the predominant direction of wave incidence, PRIMRE Basics Animation
NOTE: "Attenuator" in PRIMRE Metadata Schema | |
| Axial flow turbine | Kinetic energy conversion device in which the fluid moves in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation, PRIMRE Basics | |
| Capture area (tidal) | Equal to the power captured by the hydrodynamically functional part of a TEC divided by power per square meter of the incident tidal stream. | |
| Capture length (wave), Capture width | Equal to the power captured by the hydrodynamically functional part of a WEC divided by power per meter of the incident wave field, IEC Electropedia | |
| Closed-cycle OTEC | OTEC system that pumps the warm sea water through a heat exchanger to warm the working fluid PRIMRE Basics. | |
| Cross-flow turbine | Kinetic energy conversion device in which the fluid moves in a direction perpendicular to the axis of rotation, PRIMRE Basics | |
| Current energy converter | CEC | Devices that capture current energy from tidal channels, ocean currents, or rivers. IEC Electropedia
NOTE: "Current" in PRIMRE Metadata Schema |
| Department of Energy | DOE | https://www.energy.gov/ |
| Degree of freedom | DOF | Independent displacements and/or rotations that specify the orientation of a body or system, IEC Electropedia |
| Doppler current profiler | DCP, ADCP | Acoustic device which measures current speed and direction in multiple layers throughout the water column. |
| Free surface | Interface between the air and a body of water. | |
| Horizontal axis tidal turbine | Kinetic energy conversion device whose rotor axis is substantially parallel to the fluid flow, PRIMRE Basics | |
| Hub height | Distance from the centroid of the TEC projected capture area to the sea floor, IEC Electropedia | |
| Hybrid OTEC | A hydrid OTEC system combines features of both the closed-cycle and open-cycle system, PRIMRE Basics. | |
| International Electrotechnical Commission | IEC | https://www.iec.ch/ |
| Marine energy converter | MEC | Device which captures marine renewable energy and converts it into another form IEC Electropedia |
| Marine current | Persistent flow of seawater produced by natural physical processes, including the gravitational pull of celestial bodies, IEC Electropedia | |
| Mean water level | MWL, SWL | Surface level of a body of water with motions such as wind waves and/or changes due to the tides averaged out. |
| Marine and hydrokinetics | MHK | Includes: Ocean Wave, Current, OTEC, and Salinity Gradient power. NOTE: used interchangeably with MRE |
| Marine and Hydrokinetic Data Repository | MHKDR | PRIMRE knowledge hub that hosts all data collected using funds from the MHK Program in the WPTO of the U.S. DOE, MHKDR. |
| Marine renewable energy | MRE | Includes: Ocean Wave, Current, OTEC, and Salinity Gradient power. NOTE: used interchangeably with MHK |
| National Renewable Energy Laboratory | NREL | https://www.nrel.gov/ |
| Ocean current | Large scale and persistent flow of seawater produced by mechanisms other than the gravitational forces of celestial bodies, IEC Electropedia | |
| Ocean thermal energy conversion | OTEC | Ocean thermal energy conversion technology converts solar energy stored in the layers of the tropical and subtropical oceans, PRIMRE Basics. |
| Open-cycle OTEC | OTEC system that pumps warm sea water into a low pressure chamber where it vaporizes, expands through a turbine, and condenses on the cold side PRIMRE Basics. | |
| Oscillating hydrofoil | CEC devices that do not have rotating blades, but instead have one or more hydrofoils that translate perpendicular to the flow direction by lift or drag, PRIMRE Basics | |
| Oscillating water column device | OWC | Energy converter with an enclosed air volume excited by waves causing reciprocating air to flow through a turbine, PRIMRE Basics Animation |
| Oscillating wave surge converter | OWSC, OSWEC | Device which responds to the predominantly horizontal fluid motions in shallow and intermediate depth water, PRIMRE Basics Animation |
| Overtopping device | Energy converter with a reservoir filled by wave overtopping, which typically discharges through a low head turbine, PRIMRE Basics Animation
NOTE: "Overtopping" in PRIMRE Metadata Schema | |
| Pacific Northwest National Laboratory | PNNL | https://www.pnnl.gov/ |
| Pressure differential device | A WEC Pressure differential device located below the waves and use the pressure difference between the crest and troughs of waves, PRIMRE Basics Animation.
NOTE: "Pressure Differential" in PRIMRE Metadata Schema | |
| Pressure retarded osmosis | PRO | Salinity gradient technologies using pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) convert the osmotic pressure of saline solutions to hydraulic pressure, which is then used to drive a turbine and generate electricity, Tethys Engineering. |
| Point absorber device | PA | WEC that is small relative to the wave length and typically absorbs wave energy independent of the direction of wave incidence, PRIMRE Basics Animation. NOTE: 'Point Absorber' in PRIMRE Metadata Schema |
| Power curve, Power surface | Graphical description of the power capture as a continuous function of relevant met-ocean parameters, IEC Electropedia | |
| Power Matrix | Tabular description of power capture as a function of relevant met-ocean parameters, IEC Electropedia | |
| Portal and Repository for Information on Marine Renewable Energy | PRIMRE | https://primre.org |
| Marine Energy Projects Database | PRIMRE knowledge hub that contains current as well as historic device and deployment information, Projects Database. | |
| Power take-off | PTO | Mechanism that converts the motion of the prime mover into a useful form of energy such as electricity, IEC Electropedia |
| Prime mover | Physical component that acts as the interface between the marine resource and the energy converter from which energy is captured, IEC Electropedia | |
| Resource assessment (marine energy) | Collection and processing of met-ocean data required for determining the performance of a marine energy converter or farm, IEC Electropedia | |
| Resource characterization | Parameterization of met-ocean data to enable determination of the performance of a marine energy converter or farm, IEC Electropedia | |
| Reverse electodialysis | RED | Salinity gradient technologies using reverse electrodialysis (RED) generate electricity from the controlled mixing of two water bodies with different salinities, Tethys Engineering.
NOTE: "Electrodialysis" in PRIMRE Metadata Schema |
| Salinity gradient | Salinity gradient technologies generate electricity from the chemical pressure differential created by differences in ionic concentration between freshwater and saltwater, PRIMRE Basics. | |
| Sandia National Laboratories | Sandia | http://www.sandia.gov/ |
| Scatter diagram | Tabular representation of the frequency of occurrence for given met-ocean conditions at a specific site. See also Wave Spectrum. | |
| Tidal energy converter | TEC | Device which captures energy from tidal currents and converts it into another form, IEC Electropedia |
| Telesto | PRIMRE knowledge hub with resources and guidance for marine energy development projects, Telesto | |
| Tethys | PRIMRE knowledge hub and collaborative engagement platform on the environmental effects of marine and wind energy, https://tethys.pnnl.gov | |
| Tethys Engineering | PRIMRE knowledge hub on the technical and engineering aspects of marine renewable energy, https://tethys-engineering.pnnl.gov | |
| Tidal Kite | A tidal kite is comprised of a hydrodynamic wing, with a turbine attached, tethered by a cable to a fixed point that leverages flow to lift the wing, PRIMRE Basics. | |
| Turbine | Rotating device that converts kinetic energy of flowing fluid to mechanical energy. | |
| Wave energy | Total kinetic and potential energy associated with the propagation of surface waves, integrated from the sea floor to the surface, IEC Electropedia. | |
| Wave energy converter | WEC | Device which captures energy from surface waves and converts it into another form, IEC Electropedia and PRIMRE Basics Animations.
NOTE: "Wave" in PRIMRE Metadata Schema |
| Wave Spectrum | Distribution of the wave elevation variance density as a function of frequency, IEC Electropedia | |
| Water Power Technologies Office | WPTO | https://www.energy.gov/eere/water/water-power-technologies-office |
Units
Standard metric units in MKS (meters-kilograms-seconds system) are recommended, as defined in Table 2. All higher order units should be combinations of these base units.
Table 2. SI unit guidelines
| Quantity | Unit |
| Time | s |
| Time Ref | UTC |
| Frequency | Hz |
| Distance | m |
| Angle | radian |
| Mass | kg |
| Temperature | °C |
| Force | N |
| Pressure | Pa |
| Density | kg/m3 |
| Salinity | PSU |
| Resistance | Ohm |
| Voltage | V |
| Current | A |
| Power | W |
