Wave power calculations for a wave energy conversion device connected to a drogue Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy 6, 013117 (2014) Based on an earlier conceptual model of a two body system point absorbing wave energy converter tuned to resonance in Swedish west coast sea states, an extended coupled hydrodynamic, mechanic, and electromagnetic model has been developed. The hydrodynamic characteristics of the two body system are studied in the frequency and time domain, while its response to real Swedish west coast sea states are studied in the time domain, by using a wave energy converter model with two independently moving bodies connected to a direct driven linear generator with non-linear damping. The two body system wave energy converter gives nearly 80% power capture ratio in irregular waves. The resonant behaviour is shown to be sensitive to the shape of the spectrum, and the distance between the two bodies is shown to have a large effect on the power absorption.

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This is an author produced version of a paper published in IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering. This paper has been peer-reviewed but does not include the final publisher proof-corrections or journal pagination. Abstract-For a complete understanding of a wave energy conversion device, it is important to know how the proposed device moves in the water, how this motion can be measured, and to what extent the motion can be predicted or simulated. The magnitude and character of the motion has impacts on engineering issues and optimization of control parameters, as well as the theoretical understanding of the system. This paper presents real sea measurements of buoy motion and translator motion for a wave energy system using a linear generator. Buoy motion has been measured using two different systems: a landbased optical system and a buoy based accelerometer system. The data has been compared to simulations from a Simulink model for the entire system. The two real sea measurements of buoy motion have been found to correlate well in the vertical direction, where the measured range of motion and the standard deviation of the position distributions differed with 3 and 4 cm respectively. The difference in the horizontal direction is more substantial. The main reason for this is that the buoy rotation about its axis of symmetry was not measured. However, used together the two systems give a good understanding of buoy motion. In a first comparison, the simulations show good agreement with the measured motion for both translator and buoy.

This article proposes a simple and reliable damping strategy for wave power farm operation of small-scale point-absorber converters. The strategy is based on passive rectification onto a constant DC-link, making it very suitable for grid integration of the farm. A complete model of the system has been developed in Matlab Simulink, and uses real site data as input. The optimal constant DC-voltage is evaluated as a function of the significant wave height and energy period of the waves. The total energy output of the WEC is derived for one year of experimental site data. The energy output is compared for two cases, one where the optimal DC-voltage is determined and held constant at half-hour basis throughout the year, and one where a selected value of the DC-voltage is kept constant throughout the year regardless of sea state.

A wave energy converter (WEC) based on a linear generator and a point-absorbing buoy has been developed at Uppsala University. Interconnecting an array of WECs in parallel requires a point of common coupling, such as a common dc-bus. The dc voltage level seen by the generator is directly linked to the electromagnetic damping of the generator. A lower dc-level results in a higher damping factor and is important for increased absorption of the wave power. The drawback is increased losses in generator windings and cable resistance. There will be an optimal dc-level for maximum power output. This is a function of not only generator and buoy characteristics, but the current sea state. Experimental results of the full-scale system have been carried out, and used as validation of a simulation model of the system. The model is then used to evaluate how the dc-level seen by the generator influence the power output. The results indicate that higher dc-levels should be used at higher sea states, and power output may vary by up to a factor five depending on which dc-level is chosen.