Shrouded Tidal Turbine

A shrouded tidal turbine is an emerging tidal stream technology in which the turbine rotor is enclosed inside a venturi-shaped shroud or duct, sometimes called a ventuduct, that accelerates the tidal flow reaching the blades and produces a region of sub-atmospheric low pressure behind the turbine to draw additional flow through it. This shrouding is intended to let a smaller rotor capture more energy from a given tidal current than an equivalent unshrouded, open turbine could, though it adds structural complexity and material cost. Several manufacturers have developed differing interpretations of the same underlying shroud concept, treating it as a recognized technology class within tidal stream power generation rather than a single fixed design.