The Vasiloiu Mill is an invention of Eng. Ioan Vasiloiu and it refers to an underwater mill with oscillating panels, conceived to capture energy from water currents ranging from oceans to tides, waterfalls and running waters.

 

The mill, having an extremely ingenious and original structure, is fitted with a log-shaped rotor that is made of a cylindrical hub which embeds bolsters (jambs), radially and equidistantly. On these bolsters, several fixed axes are rigidly mounted and the oscillating panels are rotating on them.

The dynamic pressure of the water shuts the panels in the first phase of the rotation, in order to allow energy absorbtion, and it opens the panels in the second phase of the rotation, in order to allow their come-back against the currents, with low opposition.

When the current changes its moving sense, as in the case of tidal applications, the rotor keeps its rotating sense. This mill is built to generate energy regardless if it is mounted vertically or horizontally, depending on the water (also works in shallow waters).

 

Ex: An oscillating-panel mill with a 50 meter length rotor, placed in a water current that has a flow of 4m/s is able to produce 6MWh energy.