Wave climate scatter performance of a cycloidal wave energy converter

A lift based cycloidal wave energy converter (WEC) was investigated using potential flow numerical simulations in combination with viscous loss estimates based on published hydrofoil data. This type of wave energy converter consists of a shaft with one or more hydrofoils attached eccentrically at a radius. The main shaft is aligned parallel to the wave crests and submerged at a fixed depth. The operation of the WEC as a wave-to-shaft energy converter interacting with straight crested waves was estimated for an actual ocean wave climate. The climate chosen was the climate recorded by a buoy off the north-east shore of Oahu/Hawaii, which was a typical moderate wave climate featuring an average annual wave power P_W = 17 kWh/m of wave crest. The impact of the design variables radius, chord, span and maximum generator power on the average annual shaft energy yield, capacity factor and power production time fraction were explored. In the selected wave climate, a radius R = 5 m, chord C = 5 m and span of S = 60 m along with a maximum generator power of P_G = 1.25 MW were found to be optimal in terms of annual shaft energy yield. At the design point, the CycWEC achieved a wave-to-shaft power efficiency of 70%. In the annual average, 40% of the incoming wave energy was converted to shaft energy, and a capacity factor of 42% was achieved. These numbers exceeded the typical performance of competing renewables like wind power, and demonstrated that the WEC was able to convert wave energy to shaft energy efficiently for a range of wave periods and wave heights as encountered in a typical wave climate.     

Wells turbine with end plates for wave energy conversion

In order to improve the performance of the Wells turbine for wave energy conversion, the effect of end plate on the turbine characteristics has been investigated experimentally by model testing. As a result, it is found that the characteristics of the Wells turbine with end plates are superior to those of the original Wells turbine, i.e., the turbine without end plate and the characteristics are dependent on the size and position of end plate. Furthermore, by using a computational fluid dynamics (CFD), reason of the performance improvement of the turbine has been clarified and the effectiveness of the end plate has been demonstrated.     

An assessment of global ocean wave energy resources over the last 45 a

Against the background of the current world facing an energy crisis,and human beings puzzled by the problems of environment and resources,developing clean energy sources becomes the inevitable choice to deal with a climate change and an energy shortage.A global ocean wave energy resource was reanalyzed by using ERA-40 wave reanalysis data 1957–2002 from European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts(ECMWF).An effective significant wave height is defined in the development of wave energy resources(short as effective SWH),and the total potential of wave energy is exploratively calculated.Synthetically considering a wave energy density,a wave energy level probability,the frequency of the effective SWH,the stability and long-term trend of wave energy density,a swell index and a wave energy storage,global ocean wave energy resources were reanalyzed and regionalized,providing reference to the development of wave energy resources such as wave power plant location,seawater desalination,heating,pumping.     

The assessment of ocean wave energy along the coasts of Taiwan

The wave energy resource around the coasts of Taiwan is investigated with wave buoy data covering a 3-year period(2007~2009).Eleven study sites within the region bounded by the 21.5oN~25.5oN latitudes and 118oE~122oE longitudes are selected for analysis.The monthly moving-average filter is used to obtain the low-frequency trend based on the available hourly data.After quantifying the wave power and annual wave energy,the substantial resource is the result of Penghu buoy station,which is at the northeastern side of Penghu Island in the Taiwan Strait.It is investigated that the Penghu sea area is determined to be the optimal place for wave energy production according to its abundant resource of northeasterly monsoon waves,sheltering of the Taiwan Island,operation and maintenance in terms of seasonal conditions,and constructability of wave power devices.     

On a new wave energy absorber

It is a commonly held opinion that only a forced resonance is possible between random wind-generated waves and wave energy absorbers; the forced resonance being pursued by means of devices for phase control. We show, instead, that it is possible to obtain an impressive natural resonance between random wind-generated waves and a new kind of absorber beneath the sea level. The proof is given through a small scale field experiment. This finding should enable us to defend coasts with a very low environmental impact and to use breakwaters for converting large quantities of wave energy into electric power.     

福建沿海海域波浪能资源分析与评价

采用波浪模拟的方法,较准确计算得出福建沿海海域波浪能资源分布状况,并给出相应的分析和综合评价.主要结论如下:(1)福建沿海海域波浪能平均密度为2.6～7.3 kW/m,波浪能资源储量为2 210.45 MW,在我国沿海海域仅次于台湾和广东,是波浪能开发利用可以优先考虑的海区之一.(2)福建沿海海域波浪能资源储量的70%分布于平潭岛以北海域,其值达1 512.49 MW.其中,尤以北礵地区值最大,为378.80 MW.(3)以年平均波高为指标,福建沿海海域中东山区段为三类区,其他区段均为一类区和二类区,具有良好的开发前景.(4)福建沿海海域波浪能具有波功率密度低、资源分布广泛且不均匀、波功率密度随季节变化、能量具有多向性等分布特点.(5)基于福建波浪能的开发与利用现状,建议应优先着眼于解决边远海岛等特殊场所的用电问题.     

Forecasting ocean wave energy: Tests of time-series models

This paper evaluates the ability of time-series models to predict the energy from ocean waves. Data sets from four Pacific Ocean sites are analyzed. The energy flux is found to exhibit nonlinear variability. The probability distribution has heavy tails, while the fractal dimension is non-integer. This argues for using nonlinear models. The primary technique used here is a time-varying parameter regression in logs. The time-varying regression is estimated using both a Kalman filter and a sliding window, with various window widths. The sliding window method is found to be preferable. A second approach is to combine neural networks with time-varying regressions, in a hybrid model. Both of these methods are tested on the flux itself. Time-varying regressions are also used to forecast the wave height and wave period separately, and combine the forecasts to predict the flux. Forecasting experiments are run at an hourly frequency over horizons of 1-4 h, and at a daily frequency over 1-3 days. All the models are found to improve relative to a random walk. In the hourly data sets, forecasting the components separately achieves the best results in three out of four cases. In daily data sets, the hybrid and regression models yield similar outcomes. Because of the intrinsic variability of the data, the forecast error is fairly high, comparable to the errors found in other forms of alternative energy, such as wind and solar.     

Spectral modelling of wave energy converters

A spectral model suitable for the representation of wave energy converters is developed. A spectral model is an extension of a frequency-domain model that allows inclusion of non-linear forces and thereby provides improved estimates of wave energy converter performance, without the high computational cost of a time-domain model. The suitability and accuracy of a spectral model representation is demonstrated for a flap-type wave energy converter, by modelling the effect of vortex shedding and large amplitudes of motion. The development of a spectral model of wave energy converters also means that they can be represented in spectral wave models and included explicitly in software tools such as SWAN or Mike21 SW. This means that tools familiar to the industry could be used to determine the environmental impact and energy yield of wave farms efficiently.     

直驱式波浪能转换系统的研究和性能优化

A direct-drive wave energy conversion system based on a three-phase permanent magnet tubular linear generator （PMTLG） and a heaving buoy is proposed to convert wave energy into electrical energy. Sufficient experimental methods are adopted to compare the computer simulations, the validity of which is verified by the experiment results from a wave tank laboratory. In the experiment, the motion curves of heaving buoy are with small fluctuations, mainly caused by the PMTLG＇s detent force. For the reduction of these small fluctuations and a maximum operational efficiency of the direct-drive wave energy conversion system, the PMTLG＇s detent force minimization technique and the heaving buoy optimization will be discussed. It is discovered that the operational efficiency of the direct-drive wave energy conversion system increases dramatically after optimization. The experiment and optimization results will provide useful reference for the future research on ocean wave energy conversion system.     

Return period and risk calculations for ocean wave energy applications

The statistical behavior of wave energy at a site strongly depends on the wave characteristics. Wave energy converters fail to produce energy when there are no sufficiently available wave heights. Hence, evaluation of return periods and risk values of the minimum wave height becomes important for wave energy studies. A time index representing the minimum wave height is proposed here for ocean wave applications. Persistence plays a significant role in the calculation of return period and risk. Although ignoring the serial independence makes calculations easy, it leads to overestimations of the real status. In this paper, return periods and risk values are compared with each other by taking into consideration independent and dependent situations. Application of the study is achieved for the stations located in the Pacific Ocean and Gulf of Mexico.     

Estimating the potential of ocean wave power resources

The realistic assessment of an ocean wave energy resource that can be converted to an electrical power at various offshore sites depends upon many factors, and these include estimating the resource recognizing the random nature of the site-specific wave field, and optimizing the power conversion from particular wave energy conversion devices. In order to better account for the uncertainty in wave power resource estimates, conditional probability distribution functions of wave power in a given sea-state are derived. Theoretical expressions for the deep and shallow water limits are derived and the role of spectral width is studied. The theoretical model estimates were compared with the statistics obtained from the wave-by-wave analysis of JONSWAP based ocean wave time-series. It was shown that the narrow-band approximation is appropriate when the variability due to wave period is negligible. The application of the short-term models in evaluating the long-term wave power resource at a site was illustrated using wave data measured off the California coast. The final example illustrates the procedure for incorporating the local wave data and the sea-state model together with a wave energy device to obtain an estimate of the potential wave energy that could be converted into a usable energy resource.     

Near-optimal control of a wave energy device in irregular waves with deterministic-model driven incident wave prediction

This paper investigates wave-by-wave control of a wave energy converter using incident wave prediction based on up-wave surface elevation measurement. The goal of control is to approach the hydrodynamically optimum velocity leading to optimum power absorption. This work aims to study the gains in energy conversion from a deterministic wave propagation model that accounts for a range of group velocities in deriving the prediction. The up-wave measurement distance is assumed to be small enough to allow a deterministic propagation model, and further, both wave propagation and device response are assumed to be linear. For deep water conditions and long-crested waves, the propagation process is also described using an impulse response function (e.g. [1]). Approximate low and high frequency limits for realistic band-limited spectra are used to compute the corresponding group velocity limits. The prediction time into the future is based on the device impulse response function needed for the evaluation of the control force. The up-wave distance and the duration of measurement are then determined using the group velocity limits above.A 2-body axisymmetric heaving device is considered, for which power capture is through the relative heave oscillation between the two co-axial bodies. The power take-off is assumed to be linear and ideal as well as capable of applying the necessary resistive and reactive load components on the relative heave oscillation. The predicted wave profile is used along with device impulse response functions to compute the actuator force components at each instant. Calculations are carried out in irregular waves generated using a number of uni-modal wave spectra over a range of energy periods and significant wave heights. Results are compared with previous studies based on the use of instantaneous up-wave wave-profile measurements, both without and with oscillation constraints imposed. Considerable improvements in power capture are observed with the present approach over the range of wave conditions studied.     

状态空间模型在海洋波能转换系统中的应用 Ⅰ.数值模拟方法改进

状态空间模型是研究海洋波能转换系统相互作用的一种有效数学模型.应用该模型的关键之一是如何根据实验或计算的脉冲响应函数来高效地确定状态空间模型中的矩阵参数.结合最优化理论中的单纯形法、最小二乘法以及矩阵指数的简化算法,提出了一种确定状态空间模型矩阵参数的有效数值方法.数值试验表明,由于该方法克服了高斯-牛顿方法的局部收敛性及其需求解矩阵指数关于参数的导数的缺点,因此大大扩展了初值的可选范围,有效地提高了数值模拟效率,并且使数值模拟结果具有较高精度.     

基于拟层流风波生成机制的海浪谱模型

海浪谱的能量可以视为由具有不同相速度的谐波携带的能量所组成。基于对风波形成、发展过程的认识,认为各组成谐波的能量由谐波自平均风摄取而来,由此根据拟层流模型推导出谐波能量密度的计算公式,建立以等效风速和峰值频率等为基本参数的海浪谱模型——随机Fourier函数模型,并给出了确定谐波频率、波长、相速度、振幅以及等效风速等模型参数的原则和计算方法。在59个实测样本谱基础上,采用随机建模方法确定模型参数的取值及其概率分布。结果表明,海浪谱模型可以很好地预测谱能,所计算的物理谱与实测谱均值吻合良好。     

基于LAGFD-WAM海浪数值模式的海南万宁近海波浪能资源评估

利用1991—2010年的NCEP再分析风场驱动LAGFD-WAM海浪数值模式,通过数值后报方法,对海南万宁近海海域近20年的波浪场进行了逐时数值模拟,数值模拟结果和实测结果对比的一致性良好。在数值后报数据的基础上计算了万宁近海波浪能流密度和能流密度变异系数,并对其年内变化特点、区域分布特征和稳定性进行了分析。万宁近海年均波浪能流密度3—10 k W/m,属于波浪能资源可利用区和较丰富区。年内各月月均能流密度差别较大,12月波浪能资源最好,5月波浪能资源最差。秋季(9—11月)和冬季(12—2月)月均波浪能流密度分别为5—24 k W/m和6—29 k W/m,春季(3—5月)和夏季(6—8月)分别为3—7 k W/m和1—6 k W/m。地形对波浪能量的辐聚作用明显,受岬角、岛屿、海底陡坡等因素影响,大洲岛、白鞍岛周边、大花角附近及白鞍岛以北部分近岸区域形成波浪能富集区。除9月外,年内其他时段能流密度变异系数都在2.8以下,9月能流密度变异系数在3.0—5.9之间。     

Forecasting ocean wave energy: The ECMWF wave model and time series methods

Recently, the technology has been developed to make wave farms commercially viable. Since electricity is perishable, utilities will be interested in forecasting ocean wave energy. The horizons involved in short-term management of power grids range from as little as a few hours to as long as several days. In selecting a method, the forecaster has a choice between physics-based models and statistical techniques. A further idea is to combine both types of models. This paper analyzes the forecasting properties of a well-known physics-based model, the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Wave Model, and two statistical techniques, time-varying parameter regressions and neural networks. Thirteen data sets at locations in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and the Gulf of Mexico are tested. The quantities to be predicted are the significant wave height, the wave period, and the wave energy flux. In the initial tests, the ECMWF model and the statistical models are compared directly. The statistical models do better at short horizons, producing more accurate forecasts in the 1-5 h range. The ECMWF model is superior at longer horizons. The convergence point, at which the two methods achieve comparable degrees of accuracy, is in the area of 6 h. By implication, the physics-based model captures the underlying signals at lower frequencies, while the statistical models capture relationships over shorter intervals. Further tests are run in which the forecasts from the ECMWF model are used as inputs in regressions and neural networks. The combined models yield more accurate forecasts than either one individually.     

Predictions of the hydrodynamic performance of the wave rotor wave energy device

This paper provides a linear solution for the Wave Rotor, a wave energy device that comprises two parallel counter rotating cylinders in orbital motion. Theoretical results are obtained for the radiated waves generated by the device, and for its efficiency. Comparisons with earlier measurements of radiated waves show very promising agreement.     

星载雷达波谱仪反演海浪谱的精度研究

介绍了星载雷达波谱仪的观测原理及误差分析模型,并在Hauser等提出的SWI M(sea wave investigation and monitoring by satellite)的基础上分析了波谱仪反演海浪谱的波长分辨率和角度分辨率。为了减小反演调制谱的波动,在数据处理过程中时域和波数域相邻单元的平均个数分别为10和8个。系统在不同的模式下工作,为了获取20°的角度分辨率,对调制谱平均次数分别取3次(模式1)、7次(模式2)、10次(模式3)。使用解析法和仿真法分析了SWI M工作在模式2时海浪谱观测的能量误差,两种方法的结果一致。对于给定的海浪条件,能量误差小于20%。     

Revisiting ocean thermal energy conversion

Increasing concerns regarding oil spills, air pollution, and climate change associated with fossil fuel use have increased the urgency of the search for renewable, clean sources of energy. This assessment describes the potential of Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) to produce not only clean energy but also potable water, refrigeration, and aquaculture products. Higher oil prices and recent technical advances have improved the economic and technical viability of OTEC, perhaps making this technology more attractive and feasible than in the past. Relatively high capital costs associated with OTEC may require the integration of energy, food, and water production security in small island developing states (SIDSs) to improve cost-effectiveness. Successful implementation of OTEC at scale will require the application of insights and analytical methods from economics, technology, materials engineering, marine ecology, and other disciplines as well as a subsidized demonstration plant to provide operational data at near-commercial scales.     

现场波浪观测技术发展和应用

介绍与海洋工程有关的应用于水下、水面、水上和太空不同空间位置的现场波浪观测技术。根据不同仪器量测的基本原理,分析其对工程应用的适合性和局限性;并讨论了现场波浪观测的发展趋势以及我国应采取的对策。