scholarly journals Performance of Linear Generator Designs for Direct Drive Wave Energy Converter under Unidirectional Long-Crested Random Waves

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (16) ◽  
pp. 5098
Author(s):  
Budi Azhari ◽  
Fransisco Danang Wijaya ◽  
Edwar Yazid

For generating electricity, direct-drive wave energy converters (WECs) with linear permanent magnet generators (LPMGs) have advantages in terms of efficiency, simplicity, and force-to-weight ratio over WEC with rotary generators. However, the converter’s work under approaching-real wave conditions should be investigated. This paper studies the performance of a pico-scale WEC with two different LPMGs under unidirectional long-crested random waves. Different significant wave heights (using data in the Southern Ocean of Yogyakarta, Indonesia) and peak frequencies are tested. The JONSWAP energy spectrum is used to extract the wave elevations, while the MSS toolbox in MATLAB Simulink is employed to solve the floater’s dynamic responses. Next, the translator movements are extracted and combined with the flux distribution from FEMM simulation and analytical calculation, and the output powers are obtained. An experiment is conducted to test the output under constant speed. The results show for both designs, different tested significant wave height values produce higher output powers than peak frequency variation, but there is no specific trend on them. Meanwhile, the peak frequency is inversely proportional to the output power. Elimination of the non-facing events results in increasing output power under both parameters’ variation, with higher significant wave height resulting in a bigger increase. The semi iron-cored LPMG produces lower power loss and higher efficiency.

Author(s):  
V. Venugopal ◽  
I. G. Bryden ◽  
A. R. Wallace

The results of a study carried out to determine the modification of wave climate around an array of open chambered structures, which could represent an array of wave power devices are presented in this paper. The wave-structure interaction is studied using the Boussinesq wave model within the MIKE 21 suite software. The spacing between two adjacent structures within the array is varied from 1S to 5S, where S is equal to 20 m. The effect of varying the spacing between individual structures and the resulting wave reflection and transmission around the array is illustrated using simulated random waves. The results show that the degree of reflection and transmission mainly depends on the spacing between individual structures and the peak wave periods. The maximum increase in significant wave height due to wave reflection in front of the array reached about 39% and the maximum reduction in significant wave height downstream the array is found to be about 41%. The results presented in this paper should be of interest to the wave energy industry.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 309
Author(s):  
James Allen ◽  
Gregorio Iglesias ◽  
Deborah Greaves ◽  
Jon Miles

The WaveCat is a moored Wave Energy Converter design which uses wave overtopping discharge into a variable v-shaped hull, to generate electricity through low head turbines. Physical model tests of WaveCat WEC were carried out to determine the device reflection, transmission, absorption and capture coefficients based on selected wave conditions. The model scale was 1:30, with hulls of 3 m in length, 0.4 m in height and a freeboard of 0.2 m. Wave gauges monitored the surface elevation at discrete points around the experimental area, and level sensors and flowmeters recorded the amount of water captured and released by the model. Random waves of significant wave height between 0.03 m and 0.12 m and peak wave periods of 0.91 s to 2.37 s at model scale were tested. The wedge angle of the device was set to 60°. A reflection analysis was carried out using a revised three probe method and spectral analysis of the surface elevation to determine the incident, reflected and transmitted energy. The results show that the reflection coefficient is highest (0.79) at low significant wave height and low peak wave period, the transmission coefficient is highest (0.98) at low significant wave height and high peak wave period, and absorption coefficient is highest (0.78) when significant wave height is high and peak wave period is low. The model also shows the highest Capture Width Ratio (0.015) at wavelengths on the order of model length. The results have particular implications for wave energy conversion prediction potential using this design of device.


Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 2087
Author(s):  
Jie Dong ◽  
Jian Shi ◽  
Jianchun Zhao ◽  
Chi Zhang ◽  
Haiyan Xu

A wave hindcast, covering the period of 1979–2018, was preformed to assess wave energy potential in the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea. The hindcase was carried out using the third generation wave model TOMAWAC with high spatio-temporal resolution (about 1 km and on an hourly basis). Results show that the mean values of significant wave height increase from north to south, and the maximum values are located at the south part of the Yellow Sea with amplitude within 1.6 m. The magnitudes of significant wave height values vary significantly within seasons; they are at a maximum in winter. The wave energy potential was represented by distributions of the wave power flux. The largest values appear in the southeast part of the numerical domain with wave power flux values of 8 kW/m. The wave power flux values are less than 2 kW/m in the Bohai Sea and nearshore areas of the Yellow Sea. The seasonal mean wave power flux was found up to 8 kW/m in the winter and autumn. To investigate the exploitable wave energy, a wave energy event was defined based on the significant wave height (Hs) threshold values of 0.5 m. The wave energy in south part of the Yellow Sea is more steady and intensive than in the other areas. Wave energy in winter is more suitable for harvesting wave energy. Long-term trends of wave power availability suggest that the values of wave power slightly decreased in the 1990s, whereas they have been increasing since 2006.


Author(s):  
Felice Arena ◽  
Valentina Laface ◽  
Giovanni Malara ◽  
Alessandra Romolo

The design of an energy harvester involves achieving the two following objectives: to install a safe structure with a reasonable safety margin; and to install an effective device which is able to capture energy in a variety of environmental conditions. In this context, the long-term modelling of the environmental variables plays a crucial role. In the context of wave energy harvesters, the occurrence of sea storms is a critical element in the design process. Indeed, its identification is required for determining extreme loads as well as controlled de-activations of the device for preserving the mechanical components into the device. Considering these issues, the paper proposes an analysis of the wave climate oriented to the determination of the downtime and of the energy losses. Specifically, the paper provides expressions: for calculating the average deactivation time of a wave energy device, given that it must be deactivated if the significant wave height is larger than a certain threshold; and for calculating the energy “lost” (as it is not absorbed by the device) during a storm in which the maximum wave height is larger than the mentioned threshold. The paper shows that closed-form expressions can be obtained by relying on the Equivalent Triangular Storm (ETS) model and that the adequacy of the estimations improves for larger values of the significant wave height threshold.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 143
Author(s):  
Ashar Muda Lubis ◽  
Yosi Apriani Putri ◽  
Rio Saputra ◽  
Juhendi Sinaga ◽  
M Hasanudin ◽  
...  

<p class="AbstractText"><span lang="EN-AU">The Serangai area, Batik Nau District, North Bengkulu has the highest average abrasion speed of 20 m/year. The abrasion could cause the coastal area to erode the coastline till several tens of meters. The purpose of this study was to determine the height of the ocean waves and to determine the energy of the ocean waves that has the potential to accelerate the abrasion process in the Serangai area. The research was carried out on November 5-7, 2018 in the Serangai beach area at a depth of 5 m using SBE 26 Plus Seagauge Wave equipment. The results showed that the observed wave height was between 0.8-1.6 m with a significant wave height (Hs) of 1.38 m. In addition, the wave period ranges from 5-11 s with a significant wave period (Ts) of 8.2 s. The result also shows that the maximum wave height of 1.6 m occurred on November 7, 2018 with maximum wave energy of 1800 J/m<sup>2</sup>. This result can perhaps accelerate the abrasion process in the Serangai area. It can also be seen that the wave height in the Serangai region is higher than in several other areas in Indonesia. However, it is necessary to continue observing the wave height to see the seasonal variations in sea wave height in Serangai area.</span></p>


Author(s):  
Orrin Lancaster ◽  
Remo Cossu ◽  
Sebastien Boulay ◽  
Scott Hunter ◽  
Tom E. Baldock

AbstractWave measurements from a new, low-cost, real-time wave buoy (Spotter) are investigated in a comparative study as part of a site characterization study at a wave energy candidate site at King Island, Tasmania, Australia. Measurements from the Sofar Ocean Spotter buoy are compared with concurrent measurements from a Teledyne RD Instrument (RDI) 1200 kHz Work Horse ADCP and two RBRsolo3 D wave16 pressure loggers. The comparison period between 8th August – 12th October 2019 provides both the shallowest and longest continuous published comparison undertaken with the Spotter buoy.Strong agreement was evident between the Spotter buoy and RDI ADCP of key wave parameters including the significant wave height, peak wave period, and mean wave direction, with the mean values of those parameters across the full deployment period agreeing within 3%. Surface wave spectra and directional spectra are also analyzed with good agreement observed over the majority of the frequency domain, although the Spotter buoy records approximately 17% less energy within a narrow frequency band near the peak frequency when compared to the RDI ADCP. Measurements derived from the pressure loggers routinely underestimated the significant wave height and overestimated the mean wave period over the deployment period. The comparison highlights the suitability of the Spotter buoy for low-cost wave resource studies, with accurate measurements of key parameters and spectra observed.


Ocean Science ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 1469-1487
Author(s):  
Jan-Victor Björkqvist ◽  
Heidi Pettersson ◽  
Kimmo K. Kahma

Abstract. Sea surface waves are important for marine safety and coastal engineering, but mapping the wave properties at complex shorelines, such as coastal archipelagos, is challenging. The wave spectrum, E(f), contains a majority of the information about the wave field, and its properties have been studied for decades. Nevertheless, any systematic research into the wave spectrum in archipelagos has not been made. In this paper we present wave buoy measurements from 14 locations in the Finnish archipelago. The shape of the wave spectrum showed a systematic transition from a single-peaked spectrum to a spectrum with a wide frequency range having almost constant energy. The exact shape also depended on the wind direction, since the fetch, island, and bottom conditions are not isotropic. The deviation from the traditional spectral form is strong enough to have a measurable effect on the definitions of the significant wave height. The relation between the two definitions in the middle of the archipelago was H1/3=0.881Hs, but the ratio varied with the spectral width (Hs was defined using the variance). At this same location the average value of the single highest wave, Hmax∕Hs, was only 1.58. A wider archipelago spectrum was also associated with lower confidence limits for the significant wave height compared to the open sea (6 % vs. 9 %). The challenges caused by the instability of the peak frequency for an archipelago spectrum are presented, and the mean frequency, weighted with E(f)4, is proposed as a compromise between stability and bias with respect to the peak frequency. The possibility of using the frequency and width parameters of this study as a starting point for a new analytical parameterisation of an archipelago type spectrum is discussed.


Atmosphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 229
Author(s):  
Erik Nilsson ◽  
Linus Wrang ◽  
Anna Rutgersson ◽  
Adam Dingwell ◽  
Erland Strömstedt

Here, accessibility to near-shore and offshore marine sites is evaluated based on wave and ice conditions. High-resolution third-generation wave model results are used to examine the operation and maintenance conditions for renewable energy sources with a focus on wave energy. Special focus is given to the wave field and ice characteristics for areas within the Swedish Exclusive Economic Zone including analysis of return levels for extreme values for significant wave height, which provides guidance for dimensioning wave energy converters. It is shown that the number of weather windows and accessibility are influenced by distance from the coast and sea-ice conditions. The longest waiting periods for the closest weather window that is available for Operation and Maintenance (O&M) is in ice-free conditions shown to be strongly correlated with the fetch conditions. The sheltered Baltic Sea is shown to have very high accessibility if marine infrastructure and vessels are designed for access limits of significant wave height up to 3 m. In the northern basins, the waiting periods increase significantly, if and when the ice-conditions are found to be critical for the O&M activity considered. The ice-conditions are examined based on compiled operational sea-ice data over a climatic time period of 34 years. The results are location specific for the Swedish Exclusive Economic Zone, but the analysis methods are transferable and applicable to many other parts of the world, to facilitate assessment of the most promising areas in different regions.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document