Wave power

About: Wave power is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 2671 publications have been published within this topic receiving 41439 citations. The topic is also known as: wind wave energy & sea wave energy.

Wave power technologies

Abstract: The oceans contain a vast amount of mechanical energy in form of ocean waves and tides The high density of oscillating water results in high energy densities, making it a favorable form of hydro power The total US available incident wave energy flux is about 2,300 TWh/yr The DOE Energy Information Energy (EIA) estimates 2003 hydroelectric generation to be about 270 TWh which is a little more than a tenth of the offshore wave energy flux into the US The fact that good wave and tidal energy resources can be found in close proximity to population centers and technologies being developed to harness the resource have a low visual profile, makes this an attractive source of energy Recent advances in offshore oil exploration technology and remote management of power generation systems has enabled significant progress in advancing technology development by simple technology transfer A few systems have made it to full-scale prototype stage allowing experience to be gained from operational aspects which is a critical aspect to develop economic models However, despite enormous progress over the past 5 years, current and wave power conversion technologies are at an immature stage of development This is shown by a lack of accepted standards, a wide range of technical approaches and large uncertainties on performance and cost of these systems

Wave Power Absorption by Arrays of Wave Energy Converters in Front of a Vertical Breakwater: A Theoretical Study

Abstract: The present paper deals with the theoretical evaluation of the efficiency of an array of cylindrical Wave Energy Converters (WECs) having a vertical symmetry axis and placed in front of a reflecting vertical breakwater. Linear potential theory is assumed, and the associated diffraction and motion radiation problems are solved in the frequency domain. Axisymmetric eigenfunction expansions of the velocity potential are introduced into properly defined ring-shaped fluid regions surrounding each body of the array. The potential solutions are matched at the boundaries of adjacent fluid regions by enforcing continuity of the hydrodynamic pressures and redial velocities. A theoretical model for the evaluation of the WECs’ performance is developed. The model properly accounts for the effect of the breakwater on each body’s hydrodynamic characteristics and the coupling between the bodies’ motions and the power take-off mechanism. Numerical results are presented and discussed in terms of the expected power absorption. The results show how the efficiency of the array is affected by (a) the distance between the devices and the wall, (b) the shape of the WEC array configuration, as well as (c) the angle of the incoming incident wave.