scholarly journals Sea Wave Energy. A Review of the Current Technologies and Perspectives

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (20) ◽  
pp. 6604
Author(s):  
Domenico Curto ◽  
Vincenzo Franzitta ◽  
Andrea Guercio
Keyword(s):  
Wave Energy ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Morphological Characteristics ◽  
Electrical Energy ◽  
Wave Energy Converter ◽  
Tidal Range ◽  
Ocean Current ◽  
Energy Converter ◽  
Ocean Thermal Energy

The proposal of new technologies capable of producing electrical energy from renewable sources has driven research into seas and oceans. Research finds this field very promising in the future of renewable energies, especially in areas where there are specific climatic and morphological characteristics to exploit large amounts of energy from the sea. In general, this kind of energy is referred to as six energy resources: waves, tidal range, tidal current, ocean current, ocean thermal energy conversion, and saline gradient. This review has the aim to list several wave-energy converter power plants and to analyze their years of operation. In this way, a focus is created to understand how many wave-energy converter plants work on average and whether it is indeed an established technology.

Modeling and Experiment of a Novel Micro Wave Energy Converter

2017 ◽  
Vol 863 ◽  
pp. 175-182
Author(s):  
Yi Ming Zhu ◽  
Zi Rong Luo ◽  
Zhong Yue Lu ◽  
Jian Zhong Shang
Keyword(s):  
Output Power ◽  
Wave Energy ◽  
Mechanical Energy ◽  
Vertical Motion ◽  
Electrical Energy ◽  
Wave Energy Converter ◽  
Design Parameters ◽  
Energy Converter ◽  
Drive Power ◽  
Continuous Rotation

This paper proposed a novel micro wave energy converter which can convert irregular wave energy into rotating mechanical energy, then into electrical energy. The device consists of an energy absorption part and an energy conversion part. In details, the blades are installed on the absorber circumferentially and averagely, which are capable of converting the vertical motion of the surface body to continuous rotation of the absorber and leading to a great increase in efficiency. A physical prototype was built to test the performance of the novel generator and optimize the design parameters. In the experiment part, a linear motion electric cylinder was used as the drive power to provide the heaving motion for the device. And the experiment platform was built for modeling a marine environment. Also, a data acquisition program was edited in Labview. Thus, the experiment analyzed the influence of amplitude, frequency, blade angle and resistance value to the output power, and then obtained the optimum parameters combination which can maximize the value of the output power. The result will provide reference for the device’s further application.

scholarly journals Effective Mooring Rope Tension in Mechanical and Hydraulic Power Take-Off of Wave Energy Converter

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (17) ◽  
pp. 9803
Author(s):  
Ji Woo Nam ◽  
Yong Jun Sung ◽  
Seong Wook Cho
Keyword(s):  
Energy Conversion ◽  
Wave Energy ◽  
Mechanical Energy ◽  
Electrical Energy ◽  
Energy Conversion Efficiency ◽  
Wave Energy Converter ◽  
Hydraulic Motor ◽  
Energy Converter ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Conversion Efficiencies

The InWave wave energy converter (WEC), which is three-tether WEC type, absorbs wave energy via moored cylindrical buoys with three ropes connected to a terrestrial power take-off (PTO) through a subsea pulley. In this study, a simulation study was conducted to select a suitable PTO when designing a three-tether WEC. The mechanical PTO transfers energy from the buoy to the generator using a gearbox, whereas the hydraulic PTO uses a hydraulic pump, an accumulator, and a hydraulic motor to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy. The hydraulic PTO has a lower energy conversion efficiency than that of the mechanical PTO owing to losses resulting from pipe friction and the individual efficiencies of the hydraulic pumps and motors. However, the efficiencies mentioned above are not the efficiency of the whole system. The efficiency of the whole system should be analyzed considering the tension of the rope and the efficiency of the generator. In this study, the energy conversion efficiencies of the InWave WEC installed the mechanical and hydraulic PTO devices are compared, and their behaviors are analyzed through numerical simulations. The mechanics of mechanical and hydraulic PTO applied to InWave are mathematically expressed, and the issues of the elements constituting the PTO are explained. Finally, factors to consider for PTO selection are presented.

scholarly journals BIBLIOMETRIC STUDY APPLIED TO AN OVERTOPPING WAVE ENERGY CONVERTER DEVICE

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maycon Da Silveira Paiva ◽  
Leonardo Da Silva Silveira ◽  
Liércio André Isoldi ◽  
Bianca Neves Machado
Keyword(s):  
Wave Energy ◽  
Electrical Energy ◽  
Wave Energy Converter ◽  
Bibliometric Study ◽  
Energy Converter ◽  
Statistical Tool ◽  
Online Databases ◽  
Bibliometric Methodology ◽  
Sea Wave ◽  
Selection Of

The present study aims to analyze the state of the art of scientific studies about the Overtopping device used to convert sea wave energy into electrical energy, by means the Bibliometric Methodology. The development of this study took place through the selection of articles from conference proceedings, as well as national and international journals. The Bibliometric methodology consists of a statistical tool that allows quantifying the measurement of production indexes. Using selected keywords, it was conducted a survey of studies in the online databases of Science Direct, SciELO and Google Scholar. The works found then went through a filtering process, in order to limit the bibliometric study only to studies about Overtopping devices as sea wave energy converter. Finally, the investigation of these selected articles was carried out under the optics of production and authorship study, content study and study of bibliographic references. Where it was identified growth in publications related to the topic, methodologies used and, among other indicators, the authors most cited in the analyzed articles. The predominant keywords used were “Wave Energy Converter” and “Overtopping”. It was noted that Brazilian universities are leaders in the productivity, presenting more than 36% of the scientific production regarding Overtopping WECs.

Design and Development of a Small Scale Ocean Current and Wave Energy Converter

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tyler Johnson ◽  
Benjamin Phillips ◽  
Scott Ringuette ◽  
Mansour Zenouzi ◽  
James McCusker
Keyword(s):  
Wave Energy ◽  
Alternative Energy ◽  
Current Flow ◽  
Inertial Mass ◽  
Wave Energy Converter ◽  
Ocean Current ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Energy Converter ◽  
Mass System

The inability to tie into the electrical power grid drives mariners to search for alternative energy sources. One such alternative energy source is to harness the vast supply of kinetic and potential energies associated with ocean currents and waves. In the Ocean Current and Wave Energy Converter, a tandem system of an underwater turbine and a wave energy buoy is designed to provide power to a standard 12 volt marine battery. Subsurface energy in the form of current flow is harvested by a helical cross-flow Gorlov turbine. Kinetic surface wave energy is harnessed through an inertial mass system. This system utilizes a 360°, bidirectional, rotating mass enclosed in a spherical buoy that converts the pitching motion into rotational motion. Both subsystems are integrated together through the charging circuit. The charging system is designed to integrate multiple energy sources to maximize the total energy harnessed. Through testing and analysis, design improvements are identified and it is determined that the design of a small scale current flow and wave energy conversion system is a feasible solution to providing power from the ocean.

Experimental investigations of a new concept of wave energy converter hybridizing piezoelectric and dielectric elastomer generators

2021 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 015006
Author(s):  
Gregorio Boccalero ◽  
Simon Chesne ◽  
Emmanuel Mignot ◽  
Nicolas Riviere ◽  
Claire Jean-Mistral
Keyword(s):  
Wave Energy ◽  
Electrical Energy ◽  
Dielectric Elastomer ◽  
Wave Energy Converter ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Experimental Investigations ◽  
Energy Converter ◽  
Wave Flume ◽  
Novel Concept ◽  
Electrical Generation

Abstract A novel concept of a surge wave energy converter for nearshore applications is investigated experimentally. The centimetre-sized prototype developed in this work represents a proof of concept of a submerged system, which entails a hybrid transduction solution for the electrical conversion of wave energy, that uses piezoelectric elements (PZEs) and dielectric elastomer generators (DEG). The idea is to exploit the horizontal pressure gradient and horizontal water velocity underneath the waves to compress the PZE and inflate each half wave period a soft variable capacitance, which composes the DEG. The electrical charges created by the PZE are used to polarize the DEG, which is able to multiply the input energy. This hybridization is conceived to allow the system to generate electrical energy from waves without conventional high voltage supplies, thus reducing production costs and allowing standalone clean electrical generation. The article provides the preliminary fluid-mechanical measurements performed in a wave flume with a first version of the prototype and supported by a model comprising the fluid/structure interaction, the materials response, and the electrical operations. An estimation of the output energy of a small-sized prototype in constant charge mode is computed, and perspectives for optimizing the system are presented.

On the Performance of a Dual-Cylinder Wave-Energy Converter: Single Versus Two Degrees of Freedom

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lu Wang ◽  
Daewoong Son ◽  
Ronald W. Yeung
Keyword(s):  
Wave Energy ◽  
Degrees Of Freedom ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Outer Cylinder ◽  
Electrical Energy ◽  
Coaxial Cylinder ◽  
Wave Energy Converter ◽  
Irregular Waves ◽  
Energy Converter ◽  
Two Degrees Of Freedom

A recently developed dual (coaxial-)cylinder wave-energy converter (WEC) consists of inner and outer-cylinders, with the outer one sliding over the inner one. An effective design was to tension-tether the inner cylinder (Son and Yeung, OMAE2014-#24582) while the outer cylinder acts as a floater heaving in response to incident waves. Even though the idea was a success, there was significant scientific curiosity in our early stage of the design in the following context: if both cylinders were allowed to heave simultaneously and independently, what would be the implications on the energy-extraction performance and power-take-off constraints? In this paper, we report the detailed analysis conducted at the time of the design. To begin with, the hydrodynamic coefficients, namely, the added mass, radiation-damping, and wave-exciting force for the individually moving cylinders were solved using the method of matched eigenfunction expansions (Chau and Yeung, OMAE2012-#83987). We expanded that capability to allow coupling or interference hydro-dynamic coefficients to be computed in the current work. This coupling is shown to lead to two degrees of freedom of motion, one for each cylinder, with excitation forces on each based on reciprocity (Haskind’s) relations. The resulting relative heave motion between the cylinders is used to drive the permanent magnet linear generator (PMLG) to capture electrical energy. The performance of the WEC, in terms of capture width, is calculated for both regular-wave and irregular-wave conditions and is compared with that for the one degree-of-freedom system, fixed inner cylinder and heaving outer cylinder. The change in WEC performance in response to changing generator damping was found to be very different for the two cases. This behavior leads to very different optimal generator damping values in regular and irregular waves. The advantages and shortcomings of the two systems are compared and explained.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document