Deep ocean wave energy conversion using a cycloidal turbine

A lift based wave energy converter, namely, a cycloidal turbine, is investigated. 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. In the two-dimensional limit, i.e. for large spans of the hydrofoil (or an array of these), the geometry of the converter is suitable for wave termination of straight crested Airy waves. Results from two-dimensional potential flow simulations, with thin hydrofoils modeled as either a point vortex or discrete vortex panel, are presented. The operation of the cycloidal turbine both as a wave generator as well as a wave-to-shaft energy converter interacting with a linear Airy wave is demonstrated. The impact on the performance of the converter for design parameters such as device size, submergence depth, and number of hydrofoils is shown. For optimal parameter choices, simulation results demonstrate inviscid energy conversion efficiencies of more than 99% of the incoming wave energy to shaft energy. This is achieved using feedback control to synchronize the rotational rate, blade pitch angle, and phase of the cycloidal wave energy converter to the incoming wave. While complete termination of the incoming wave is shown, the remainder of the energy is lost to harmonic waves traveling in the up-wave and down-wave directions.     

Wave tank and bench-top control testing of a wave energy converter

An increasing number of experiments are being conducted to study the design and performance of wave energy converters. Often in these tests, a real-time realization of prospective control algorithms is applied in order to assess and optimize energy absorption as well as other factors. This paper details the design and execution of an experiment for evaluating the capability of a model-scale WEC to execute basic control algorithms. Model-scale hardware, system, and experimental design are considered, with a focus on providing an experimental setup capable of meeting the dynamic requirements of a control system. To more efficiently execute such tests, a dry bench testing method is proposed and utilized to allow for controller tuning and to give an initial assessment of controller performance; this is followed by wave tank testing. The trends from the dry bench test and wave tank test results show good agreement with theory and confirm the ability of a relatively simple feedback controller to substantially improve energy absorption. Additionally, the dry bench testing approach is shown to be an effective and efficient means of designing and testing both controllers and actuator systems for wave energy converters.     

Investigation on the energy absorption performance of a fixed-bottom pressure-differential wave energy converter

In this article, we investigate the energy absorption performance of a fixed-bottom pressure-differential wave energy converter. Two versions of the technology are considered: one has the moving surfaces on the bottom of the air chambers whereas the other has the moving surfaces on the top. We developed numerical models in the frequency domain, thereby enabling the power absorption of the two versions of the device to be assessed. It is observed that the moving surfaces on the top allow for easier tuning of the natural period of the system. Taking into account stroke limitations, the design is optimized. Results indicate that the pressure-differential wave energy converter is a highly efficient technology both with respect to energy absorption and selected economic performance indicators.     

Wave prediction using wave rider position measurements and NARX network in wave energy conversion

Several control methods of wave energy converters (WECs) need prediction in the future of wave surface elevation. Prediction of wave surface elevation can be performed using measurements of surface elevation at a location ahead of the controlled WEC in the upcoming wave. Artificial neural network (ANN) is a robust data-learning tool, and is proposed in this study to predict the surface elevation at the WEC location using measurements of wave elevation at ahead located sensor (a wave rider buoy). The nonlinear autoregressive with exogenous input network (NARX NN) is utilized in this study as the prediction method. Simulations show promising results for predicting the wave surface elevation. Challenges of using real measurements data are also discussed in this paper.     

波浪作用下基于不同负载的一种Savonius型水轮机捕能性能研究

通过水轮机捕能是当前常用的海洋能利用方式之一。桨叶作为水轮机关键部件,其性能一直是研究的重点。针对目前波浪条件下带负载运转的Savonius型水轮机相关捕能性能研究较少的情况,采用数值仿真方法,结合对应工况条件的物理试验,研究了一种Savonius型水轮机在不同波浪环境下带负载运转的捕能性能。采用Star CCM+仿真软件,建立数值波浪水池,设置环境参数,划分网格调整变量进行水轮机运转的水动力模型数值研究。在造波试验水池中利用推板改变波浪周期与波高,进行水轮机运转的物理试验。采集在不同负载下水轮机桨叶的转速和扭矩数据,计算并分析功率等参数,总结变化趋势,评价捕能效果。研究发现水轮机在1.6 s的波浪周期条件下,桨叶承受1.5 N·m负载时达到最佳捕能效果,其功率为23 W。为实际海域中水轮机桨叶的结构设计研究和相关工程应用提供参考。     

The effect of water depth on the performance of a small surging wave energy converter

The effect of water depth on the performance of a small surging wave energy converter (WEC) is investigated analytically, numerically and experimentally. It is shown that although the average annual incident wave power is significantly reduced by water depth, a large proportion of this reduction is due to the dissipation of highly energetic, but largely unexploitable seas. It is also shown that the power capture is related more closely to incident wave force than incident wave power. Experimental results demonstrate that both the surge wave force and power capture of a flap-type WEC increase in shallow water.     

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.     

垂荡式波浪能装置运动模型数值分析

垂荡式波浪能装置在海洋可再生能源开发中被广泛应用,通过浮子与摇杆在垂荡方向的相对运动吸收波浪能。在以往相关的运动预报数值分析中,通常基于微幅波假设,仅考虑浮子与摇杆在垂荡方向的运动,忽略摇杆其他自由度运动。建立并求解了垂荡式波浪能装置的非线性联合运动方程组,分析垂荡式波浪能装置的波浪载荷、浮子与平台连接处的受力情况。数值计算系统的运动响应,并将计算结果与已有的试验数据进行比较验证,结果表明数值模拟的垂荡式波能装置的运动响应与试验结果相符合。最后,应用本计算方法分析PTO(power take-off)参数对波能装置发电性能的影响。     

Wave groupiness and spectral bandwidth as relevant parameters for the performance assessment of wave energy converters

To date the estimation of long-term wave energy production at a given deployment site has commonly been limited to a consideration of the significant wave height H_s and mean energy period T_e. This paper addresses the sensitivity of power production from wave energy converters to the wave groupiness and spectral bandwidth of sea states. Linear and non-linear systems are implemented to simulate the response of converters equipped with realistic power take-off devices in real sea states. It is shown in particular that, when the converters are not much sensitive to wave directionality, the bandwidth characteristic is appropriate to complete the set of overall wave parameters describing the sea state for the purpose of estimating wave energy production.     

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.     

On a near-optimal control approach for a wave energy converter in irregular waves

Real-time smooth reactive control and optimal damping of wave energy converters in irregular waves is difficult in part because the radiation impulse response function is real and causal, which constrains the frequency-dependent added mass and radiation damping according to the Kramers–Kronig relations. Optimal control for maximum energy conversion requires independent synthesis of the impulse response functions corresponding to these two quantities. Since both are non-causal (one being odd and other even), full cancellation of reactive forces and matching of radiation damping requires knowledge or estimation of device velocity into the future. To address this difficulty and the non-causality of the exciting force impulse response function, this paper investigates the use of propagating-wave surface elevation up-wave of the device to synthesize the necessary forces. Long-crested waves are assumed, and the approach is based on the formulations of Naito and Nakamura [2] and Falnes [22]. A predominantly heaving submerged device comprised of three vertically stacked discs driving a linear power take-off is studied. The overall formulation leads to smooth control that is near-optimal, given the approximations involved in the time-shifting of the non-causal impulse response functions and the consequent up-wave distances at which wave surface elevation is required. Absorbed power performance with the near-optimal approach is compared with two other cases, (i) when single-frequency tuning is used based on non-real time adjustment of the reactive and resistive loads to maximize conversion at the spectral peak frequency, and (ii) when no control is applied with damping set to a constant value. Simulation results for wave spectra over a range of energy periods and significant wave heights are compared for the three situations studied. While practical implementation presents engineering challenges, in terms of time-averaged absorbed power, unconstrained near-optimal control is found to perform significantly better than single-frequency tuning in the spectra with longer energy periods (>10 s for the present device), and somewhat better in the spectra with shorter energy periods (here ≤10 s).     

Modelling of a wave energy converter array with a nonlinear power take-off system in the frequency domain

This paper presents a nonlinear frequency domain model and uses this to assess the performance of a wave energy converter (WEC) array with a nonlinear power take-off (PTO). In this model, the nonlinear PTO forces are approximated by a truncated Fourier series, while the dynamics of the WEC array are described by a set of linear motion equations in the frequency domain, and the hydrodynamic coefficients are obtained with the boundary element method. A single heave absorber is firstly investigated to establish the accuracy of the new model in capturing the nonlinear behaviour of the pumping system. Subsequently, simulations of a 2D array with 18 WECs and a pillar in the centre (representing the tower of a wind turbine) are carried out to understand wave interference effects. Several optimisation strategies are proposed to improve the overall performance of the WEC array. These results demonstrate a computationally effective method for accounting for nonlinear effects in large WEC arrays. The proposed approach may potentially be applied for developing control algorithms for the adaptability of a 2D array to incoming wave excitation.     

Constrained near-optimal control of a wave energy converter in three oscillation modes

This paper investigates the performance of a small axisymmetric buoy under wave-by-wave near optimal control in surge, heave, and pitch modes in long-crested irregular waves. Wave prediction is obtained using a deterministic propagation model. The paper describes the overall formulation leading up to the derivation of the feedforward control forces in surge and heave, and the control moment in pitch. The radiation coupling between surge and pitch modes is accounted for in the model. Actuation is relative to deeply submerged reaction masses. Heave oscillations are constrained by the swept-volume limit. Oscillation constraints are also applied on the surge and pitch oscillations. The paper discusses time-domain simulations for an irregular wave input with and without the present control. Also discussed are results obtained over a range of irregular wave conditions derived for energy periods from 7 s to 17 s, and a significant wave height of 1 m. It is found that, while the gains in power capture enabled by the present control are significant, the actuation forces are also very large, given the small size of the buoy. Further, due to the small size, heave is found to be the dominant contributor to power capture, with relatively modest contributions from surge and pitch.     

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.     

Wave energy assessment based on trivariate distribution of significant wave height,mean period and direction

Based on the Vine copula theory, a trivariate statistical model of significant wave height, characterized wave period and mean wave direction was constructed. To maintain the properties of the different types of variables, a special copula function was derived from the model developed by Johnson and Wehrly based on the maximum entropy principle. It was then combined with the Archimedean copulas to construct the proposed model. An effective algorithm for generating corresponding joint pseudo-random numbers was also developed. Statistical analysis of hindcast data for the significant wave height, mean wave period, and direction, which were collected from an observation point in the North Atlantic every three hours from 1997 to 2001, was performed. The marginal distributions of the significant wave height and mean wave period were fitted by a modified maximum entropy distribution, and the mean wave direction was fitted by a mixture of von Mises distributions. It was shown that the proposed model is a good fit for the data. The seasonal wave energy resources in the target area were assessed using the model estimates. Histograms of the directional wave energy, wave energy roses, and scatter and energy diagrams were presented.     

Design pressure distributions on the hull of the FLOW wave energy converter

This paper presents a procedure to calculate the design pressure distributions on the hull of a wave energy converter (WEC). Design pressures are the maximum pressure values that the device is expected to experience during its operational life time. The procedure is applied to the prototype under development by Martifer Energy (FLOW—Future Life in Ocean Waves).A boundary integral method is used to solve the hydrodynamic problem. The hydrodynamic pressures are combined with the hydrostatic ones and the internal pressures of the large ballast tanks. The first step consists of validating the numerical results of motions by comparison with measured experimental data obtained with a scaled model of the WEC. The numerical model is tuned by adjusting the damping of the device rotational motions and the equivalent damping and stiffness of the power take-off system. The pressure distributions are calculated for all irregular sea states representative of the Portuguese Pilot Zone where the prototype will be installed and a long term distribution method is used to calculate the expected maximum pressures on the hull corresponding to the 100-year return period.     

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.     

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。     

Numerical study on the effect of submerged depth on the horizontal plate wave energy converter

The growing search for clean and renewable energy sources has given rise to the studies of exploring sea wave energy. This paper is concerned with the numerical evaluation of the main operational principle of a submerged plate employed for the conversion of wave energy into electrical one. The numerical model used to solve the conservation equations of mass, momentum and transport of volume fraction is based on the finite volume method （FVM）. In order to tackle with the flow of mixture of air-water and its interaction with the device, the multiphase model volume of fluid （VOF） is employed. The purpose of this study is the evaluation of a numerical model for improvement of the knowledge about the submerged plate wave energy converter, as well as the investigation of the effect of the distance from the plate to the bottom of the sea （HP） on the performance of the converter. The simulations for several distances of the plate from the seabed show that the optimal efficiency is 64%, which is obtained for HP=0.53 m （88% of the depth）. This efficiency is 17% larger than that found in the worst case （HP=0.46 m, 77% of the depth）.