Hydraulic Experiments on a Small-Scale Wave Energy Converter with an Unconventional Dummy Pto

This paper investigates on a Wave Energy Converter (WEC) named Energy & Protection, 4th generation (EP4). The WEC couples the energy harvesting function with the purpose of protecting the coast from erosion. It is formed by a flap rolling with a single degree of freedom around a lower hinge. Sma...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Energies (Basel) 2019, Vol.12 (7), p.1218
Main Authors: Martinelli, Luca, Volpato, Matteo, Favaretto, Chiara, Ruol, Piero
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Coasts
Converters
Energy conversion efficiency
Energy industry
Energy transfer
Engineering
EP4
Experiments
floating
Hydraulics
International conferences
Inventors
latching
moorings
Offshore
Oscillations
Power Take Off
renewable electricity generation systems
Scale models
SDEWES 2018
Velocity
Wave energy
wave energy converters
wave flume
Wave power
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Summary:This paper investigates on a Wave Energy Converter (WEC) named Energy & Protection, 4th generation (EP4). The WEC couples the energy harvesting function with the purpose of protecting the coast from erosion. It is formed by a flap rolling with a single degree of freedom around a lower hinge. Small-scale tests were carried out in the wave flume of the maritime group of Padua University, aiming at the evaluation of the device efficiency. The test peculiarity is represented by the system used to simulate the Power Take Off (PTO). Such dummy PTO permits a free rotation of two degrees before engaging the shaft, allowing the flap to gain some inertia, and then applying a constant resistive moment. The EP4 was observed to reach a 35% efficiency, under short regular waves. The effects, in terms of coastal protection, are small but not negligible, at least for the shortest waves.
ISSN:1996-1073
1996-1073
DOI:10.3390/en12071218