Study on Hydraulic System Efficiency of Heaving-Buoy Wave Energy Converter

The hydraulic system is the key component in the widely used wave energy converters (WEC). In this paper, we theoretically analyze and describe our investigation of the efficiency of the hydraulic system by simulation and model testing of the combined heaving-buoy WEC. We derive a new governing equation that includes nonlinear hydraulic resistance in the power take-off (PTO). We conducted a physical model experiment based on a 100-kW prototype and applied a hydraulic system with an energy accumulator. The model test results reveal an important parameter related to efficiency with respect to nonlinear hydraulic resistance. We also studied the relationship between the efficiency and the initial conditions. Finally, based on our numerical simulation results, we discuss the effect on efficiency of the gas content of the hydraulic fluid and ways to reduce its impact.