WAVE ENERGY CONVERTER

WAVE ENERGY CONVERTER

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  TECHNICAL WRITING FINALPRESENTATION GROUP: 1. HAFIZ MUHAMMAD HASSAN IDREES 2. HAMID RAZA 3. HASSAN FAZAL 4. DANIYAL MAJID 5. MUHAMMAD ALEEM
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  Topic: Wave Energy Converter Technology Article: Areview of wave energy converter technology By : B Drew , A R Plummer , and M N Sahinkaya Department of Mechanical Engineering , University of Bath , Bath , UK
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  Abstract:  Ocean wavesare a huge, largely untapped energy resource, and the potential for extracting energy from waves is considerable.  Research in this area is driven by the need to meet renewable energy targets, but is relatively immature compared to other renewable energy technologies.  This review introduces the general status of wave energy and evaluates the device types that represent current wave energy converter (WEC) technology.  Types of different wave energy converters and their working mechanism has been described in this report.  Best areas in order to generate maximum energy .  This article concludes with some suggestions of future developments.
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  Introduction:  Despite beingdiscussed in patents since the late 18th century [1], modern research into harnessing energy from waves was stimulated by the emerging oil crisis of the 1970s .  Wi0th global attention now being drawn to climate change and the rising level of CO2, the focus on generating electricity from renewable sources is once again an important area of research.  It is estimated that the potential worldwide wave power resource is 2 TW , with the UK’s realistic potential being 7–10 GW .  To put these figures into perspective, the UK’s total grid capacity is 80 GW, with peak demand stabilized at around 65 GW .  As such, up to 15 per cent of current UK electricity demand could be met by wave energy; when combined with tidal stream generation, up to 20 per cent of the UK demand could be met .
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   There areseveral reviews of wave energy converter (WEC) concepts (for example, see references [2], [3], [6], and [7]). These show that many wave energy devices are being investigated, but many are at the R&D stage  In September 2008, another commercial wave power system started operating in Northern Portugal. It makes use of the Pelamis power generating device built by Pelamis Wave (formerly OPD) in Scotland (see section 2.4.1 for more information).
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  Benefits
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   Sea wavesoffer the highest energy density among renewable energy sources. Waves are generated by winds, which in turn are generated by solar energy. Solar energy intensity of typically 0.1– 0.3 kW/m2 horizontal surface is converted to an average power flow intensity of 2–3 kW/m2 of a vertical plane perpendicular to the direction of wave propagation just below the water surface  Limited negative environmental impact in use. Thorpe details the potential impact and presents an estimation of the life cycle emissions of a typical near shore device. In general, offshore devices have the lowest potential impact.  3. Natural seasonal variability of wave energy, which follows the electricity demand in temperate climates  Waves can travel large distances with little energy loss. Storms on the western side of the Atlantic Ocean will travel to the western coast of Europe, supported by prevailing westerly winds  It is reported that wave power devices can generate power up to 90 per cent of the time, compared to ∼20–30 per cent for wind and solar power devices
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  Wave energy converter:  There is a large number of concepts for wave energy conversion; over 1000 wave energy conversion techniques have been patented in Japan, North America, and Europe. Despite this large variation in design, WECs are generally categorized by location and type.
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  Wave climate : In order to assess an area for wave energy development, the wave climate must be defined.  The wave climate describes an area’s wave height distribution, wave length distribution, and total mean water depth.  From these parameters, one can compute wave power levels.
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  Types: Despite the largevariation in designs and concepts, WECs can be classified into three predominant types:  Attenuator  Point absorber  Terminator
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  Attenuator: Attenuators lie parallelto the predominant wave direction and ‘ride’ the waves .An example of an attenuator WEC is the Pelamis , developed by Ocean Power Delivery Ltd (now known as Pelamis Wave Power . Figure shows an artist’s impression of a Pelamis wave farm.
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  Point absorber : A point absorber is a device that possesses small dimensions relative to the incident wavelength. They can be floating structure that heave up and down on the surface of the water or submerged below the surface relying on pressure differential. Because of their small size, wave direction is not important for these devices. There are numerous examples of point absorbers, one of which is Ocean Power Technology’s Powerbuoy . Figure shows an artist’s impression of a wave farm using Powerbuoys.
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  Terminator :  Terminatordevices have their principal axis parallel to the wave front (perpendicular to the predominant wave direction) and physically intercept waves. One example of a terminator-type WEC is the Salter’s Duck as shown in the figure.
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  Conclusion:  The potentialfor generating electricity from wave energy is considerable. The ocean is a huge resource, and generation the electricity from ocean waves represents an important step towards meeting renewable energy targets.  This review introduces the current status of WEC technology.  The different device types are established and evaluated.  The institutions and companies involved in WEC development, as well as collaborative wave energy projects, are also identified.  The possible PTO (power take off) systems are assessed and classified as hydraulic, linear electrical generator, or turbine based. A hydraulic PTO system is particularly well suited to absorbing energy from a high force, slow oscillatory motion and can facilitate the conversion of reciprocating motion to rotary motion to drive a generator. There are, however, various design challenges such as efficiency and reliability.
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   A linearelectrical generator provides an alternative option, but the technology is less mature. The active control of a WEC can significantly increase its efficiency, and hence cost effectiveness. This research is currently ongoing with latching control being highlighted as a promising, simple method of efficiently extracting energy.  Despite considerable research and development, the concepts for converting a slow, high-force, reciprocating motion to one useful for generating electricity show no signs of converging to a preferred solution. Questions arise over which concept to use, how best to optimize its performance, and how to control such a system. Future research should take a systems engineering approach, as the individual subsystems of a WEC are all intimately related and any one should not be optimized without considering the other subsystems. Furthermore, individual WECs will often operate as part of a wave farm, so future systems analysis must include the interaction between devices.