Purdue Research Foundation

Jun Chen

Kinam Park

Charles Greg Jensen

Haiyan H Zhang

Haesun Park

Seong BongJo

A hydrokinetic turbine system for harvesting energy from riverine and tidal sources, including a first floating dock, a marine hydrokinetic turbine mounted on the first floating dock, and a second floating dock. The system further includes a winch assembly mounted on the second floating dock and operationally connected to the first floating dock and a linkage assembly operationally connected to the first floating dock and to the second floating dock. The linkage assembly may be actuated to pull the first floating dock into contact with the second floating dock. The linkage assembly may be actuated to distance the first floating dock from the second floating dock, and the winch assembly may be energized to orient the first floating dock into a position wherein the marine hydrokinetic turbine is above the first floating dock and wherein the winch assembly may be energized to orient the first floating dock into a position wherein the marine hydrokinetic turbine is below the first floating dock.

Cycloturbine modular river current energy converter and method and apparatus for deploying marine hydrokinetic turbine assembly to harvest riverine and ocean tidal current energy

A superporous hydrogel composite is formed by polymerizing one or more ethylenically-unsaturated monomers, and a multiolefinic crosslinking agent, in the presence of particles of a disintegrant and a blowing agent. The disintegrant, which rapidly absorbs water, serves to greatly increase the mechanical strength of the superporous hydrogel and significantly shorten the time required to absorb water and swell. Superporous hydrogel composites prepared by this method have an average pore size in the range of 10 &mgr;m to 3,000 &mgr;m. Preferred particles of disintegrant include natural and synthetic charged polymers, such as crosslinked sodium carboxymethylcellulose, crosslinked sodium starch glycolate, and crosslinked polyvinylpyrrolidone. The blowing agent is preferably a compound that releases gas bubbles upon acidification, such as NaHCO,. Improved hydrogel composites formed without a blowing agent are also provided.

Hydrogel composites and superporous hydrogel composites having fast swelling, high mechanical strength, and superabsorbent properties

Polymerizable saccharide monomers are made by the reaction of a saccharose and a (meth)acrylate. Hydrophilic, hydrophobic and thermoreversible gels and foams are formed upon polymerization of the saccharide monomers. Hydrophilic sucrose monomers are synthesized by reaction of sucrose with an epoxy acrylate. Hydrophobic sucrose monomers are synthesized by reaction of sucrose with methacrylol chloride followed by acetyl chloride. Thermoreversible sucrose monomers are obtained by modifying sucrose with polymerizable substituents prepared from methacryloyl chloride and aminocarboxylic acids. The modified sucrose monomers are copolymerized with hydrophobic poly(alkyleneoxide) (meth)acrylates to produce hydrogels exhibiting inverse thermoreversible properties. The thermosensitive hydrogels are biodegradable and can be used in the area of controlled drug delivery.

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Hatfield, PA, United States of America

Jun Chen