This paper analyses the performance of a new Wave Energy Converter (WEC) of the Oscillating Water Column type (OWC), named WavePiston. This near-shore floating device is composed of plates (i.e. energy collectors) sliding around a cylinder, that is placed perpendicular to the shore. Tests in the wave basin at Aalborg University allowed to investigate power production in the North Sea typical wave climate, with varying design parameters such as plate dimensions and their mutual distance. The power produced per meter by each collector is about the 5% of the available wave power. Experimental results and survivability considerations suggest that the WavePiston would be particularly suited for installations also in milder seas. An example application is therefore presented in the Mediterranean Sea, off-shore the island of Sicily. In this case, each collector harvests the 10% of the available wave power. In order to allow the extension of the experimental dataset, an analytic model is also developed based on mass-spring-damper system concept. The model is calibrated and validated to represent device displacements and loads in order to obtain the power production based on device geometry and conditions of incident wave attack.
Angelelli E., Zanuttigh B., Kofoed J. P, Glejbol K. (2011). Experiments on the Wave Piston wave energy converter. SOUTHAMPTON : University of Southampton.
Experiments on the Wave Piston wave energy converter
ANGELELLI, ELISA;ZANUTTIGH, BARBARA;
2011
Abstract
This paper analyses the performance of a new Wave Energy Converter (WEC) of the Oscillating Water Column type (OWC), named WavePiston. This near-shore floating device is composed of plates (i.e. energy collectors) sliding around a cylinder, that is placed perpendicular to the shore. Tests in the wave basin at Aalborg University allowed to investigate power production in the North Sea typical wave climate, with varying design parameters such as plate dimensions and their mutual distance. The power produced per meter by each collector is about the 5% of the available wave power. Experimental results and survivability considerations suggest that the WavePiston would be particularly suited for installations also in milder seas. An example application is therefore presented in the Mediterranean Sea, off-shore the island of Sicily. In this case, each collector harvests the 10% of the available wave power. In order to allow the extension of the experimental dataset, an analytic model is also developed based on mass-spring-damper system concept. The model is calibrated and validated to represent device displacements and loads in order to obtain the power production based on device geometry and conditions of incident wave attack.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
