不规则波中多体三浮子波能转换器的优化设计

A multi-body wave energy converter,consisting of three floats and modeled as a two body problem,is optimised to enhance its mean absorbed power using the Response Surface Optimisation Method.The optimisation focuses on two input parameters namely;the floats’diameters and the spacing,in various sea states and at different PTO dampings.A frequency domain analysis is performed for the WEC model scaled at 1∶50 in regular and irregular waves.Obtained results are validated against numerical and experimental data available in the literature.Validations show good agreement against the unmoored model’s added mass,radiation damping,response amplitude operator,mean absorbed power and,capture width ratio.The sea states selected for optimisation are represented by a JONSWAP wave spectrum with,a range of significant wave heights(0.04 to 0.06 m)and a range of peak periods(0.8 to 1.3 s).This corresponds to(2 to 3 m)significant wave heights and(5.6 to 9.2 s)peak periods in full scale.Results show that the optimised WEC model demonstrates good and consistent enhancement of its mean absorbed power and capture width ratio.

Experimental Study on Conversion Characteristics of Dual-Mode OWC Models Appropriate for Voyaging

Freely movable wave energy converters(WECs) will greatly improve their adaptability to the marine environment.In this paper, a dual-mode oscillating water column(OWC) WEC with potential sailing capability is proposed. By opening and closing a gate on the side facing the waves, the WEC converts wave energy in the vertical duct(called VD mode) with low sailing resistance or in the backward bend duct(called BBD mode) with high sailing resistance.A small model and a medium model were designed and manufactured. The capture width ratio(CWR) of the small model in the two modes was experimentally studied. The CWR under bidirectional airflow and conversion characteristics under unidirectional airflow of the medium model in the BBD mode were obtained. Tests of the small model show that the peak CWR is 145.2% under regular waves and 90.1% under random waves in BBD mode, and in VD mode the peak CWR is about 60% of that in the BBD mode. Tests of the medium model show that the peak CWR is 228.96% under regular waves, the maximum wave-to-battery efficiency is 63.36% under regular waves and 30.17%under random waves, respectively.

Investigation on the Oscillating Buoy Wave Power Device

An oscillating buoy wave power device (OD) is a device extracting wave power by an oscillating buoy. Being excited by waves, the buoy heaves up and down to convert wave energy into electricity by means of a mechanical or hydraulic device. Compared with an Oscillating Water Column (OWC) wave power device, the OD has the same capture width ratio as the OWC does, but much higher secondary conversion efficiency. Moreover, the chamber of the OWC, which is the most expensive and difficult part to be built, is not necessary for the OD, so it is easier to construct an OD. In this paper, a numerical calculation is conducted for an optimal design of the OD firstly, then a model of the device is built and, a model test is carried out in a wave tank. The results show that the total efficiency of the OD is much higher than that of the OWC and that the OD is a promising wave power device.

Hydrodynamic Analysis and Power Conversion for Point Absorber WEC with Two Degrees of Freedom Using CFD

Point absorber wave energy device with multiple degrees of freedom(DOF) is assumed to have a better absorption ability of mechanical energy from ocean waves. In this paper, a coaxial symmetric articulated point absorber wave energy converter with two degrees of freedom is presented. The mechanical equations of the oscillation buoy with power take-off mechanism(PTO) in regular waves are established. The three-dimensional numerical wave tank is built in consideration of the buoy motion based upon the CFD method. The appropriate simulation elements are selected for the buoy and wave parameters. The feasibility of the CFD method is verified through the contrast between the numerical simulation results of typical wave conditions and test results. In such case, the buoy with single DOF of heave, pitch and their coupling motion considering free(no PTO damping) and damped oscillations in regular waves are simulated by using the verified CFD method respectively. The hydrodynamic and wave energy conversion characteristics with typical wave conditions are analyzed. The numerical results show that the heave and pitch can affect each other in the buoy coupling motion, hydrodynamic loads, wave energy absorption and flow field.The total capture width ratio with two coupled DOF motion is higher than that with a single DOF motion. The wave energy conversion of a certain DOF motion may be higher than that of the single certain DOF motion even though the wave is at the resonance period. When the wave periods are high enough, the interaction between the coupled DOF motions can be neglected.

Study of Hydrodynamic Characteristics of A Sharp Eagle Wave Energy Converter

According to Newton＇s Second Law and the microwave theory, mechanical analysis of multiple buoys which form Sharp Eagle wave energy converter （WEC） is carried out. The movements of every buoy in three modes couple each other when they are affected with incident waves. Based on the above, mechanical models of the WEC are established, which are concerned with fluid forces, damping forces, hinge forces, and so on. Hydrodynamic parameters of one buoy are obtained by taking the other moving buoy as boundary conditions. Then, by taking those hydrodynamic parameters into the mechanical models, the optimum external damping and optimal capture width ratio are calculated out. Under the condition of the optimum external damping, a plenty of data are obtained, such as the displacements amplitude of each buoy in three modes （sway, heave, pitch）, damping forces, hinge forces, and speed of the hydraulic cylinder. Research results provide theoretical references and basis for Sharp Eagle WECs in the design and manufacture.