GCK Technology

GCK is a U.S. company based in San Antonio Texas. Rather than focus exclusively on river or ocean settings, the company instead is focused on a specific technology known as the Gorlov Helical Turbine.

The Gorlov turbine was initially designed for use in hydroelectric applications, though it has been used in wind turbines as well. The basic design was built to work in low head (low water pressure) and low flow settings. This meant that it could be used with smaller dams where water levels were quite low. With the increased interested in stream energy (tidal and river) the Gorlov Helical Turbine has found new application.

Advantages of the Gorlov Helical Turbine

There are a number of advantages to the unique design of this turbine that are listed here:

• The structure of the turbine means that it works no matter which way the current is flowing.
• The design allows it to rotate twice as fast as the water that is pushing it.
• Its low resistance to spin means that it only needs water flows of 2 feet per second (less than 1 meter per second) to start spinning. This makes it more universally applicable.
• It is modular and can be installed vertically or horizontally
• It can be customized in size and overall shape for  a number of settings
• It has low impact on marine life
• It can be deployed in rivers, traditional hydroelectric dams, tidal currents, ocean currents, waste discharge from industrial and municipal settings.