A Floating Platform with Embedded Wave Energy Harvesting Arrays in Regular and Irregular Seas

Abstract

This paper presents a study on a cost-effective engineering model that integrates an array of floating wave energy converters with a vast platform, a viable option for multi-functional performance in renewable energy capture and ocean space utilization. The wave energy converters are floating buoyance columns flexibly connected with the elastic platform. Hydrodynamic interactions among the columns are analyzed using an exact matrix transform method based on linear wave theory in the frequency domain. A parametric governing equation of compounded wave energy converter referred to as a wave farm is formulated by using Hamilton's principle which can be discretized using the Galerkin method. The effects of wave conditions and the parameters of hydraulic power take-off (PTO) on the wave energy absorption and dynamic characteristics of the energy harvesting system are investigated. Furthermore, the wave energy capture on irregular waves is also discussed. This research work aims at providing a theoretical guidance for wave energy harvesting system design.

Latching and Declutching Control of the Solo Duck Wave-Energy Converter with Different Load Types

“…According to the experimental setup of Skyner [5], we have I = 6.36 × 10 7 kg·m 2 and C = 1.165 × 10 8 N·m/rad. In regular waves, the excitation moment can be written as (2) where Awave is the wave amplitude; ˆe M is the complex amplitude of the excitation moment per wave amplitude; and w is the angular frequency of the incident wave. Since we confine our study to the linear wave region, only Awave = 1 m is considered in this paper.…”

“…Despite the fact that the wave-energy converter (WEC) was first patented as early as 1799 [1], wave-energy conversion technology did not enter spotlight until 1970s, when it was proposed as a promising alternative to traditional fossil energy [2]. The Edinburgh duck WEC was proposed at this time [3] and is renowned for its high efficiency, which is confirmed to exceed 90% in 2D regular wave tests [4].…”

A Novel Type of Wave Energy Converter with Five Degrees of Freedom and Preliminary Investigations on Power-Generating Capacity

“…Investigations on how the interaction factor q is influenced by various parameters have become the focus of many studies, such as buoy size [23,24], power take-off (PTO) characteristics [25,26], number of buoys [27], inter-buoy spacing [28], and array layout [29][30][31][32][33]. In addition, some researchers have made efforts on how to reduce costs, such as integrating WECs with other offshore structures [34,35].…”