Duct Attachment on Improving Breaking Wave Zone Energy Extractor Device Performance

Abstract

A challenging wave energy converter design that utilized the denser energy part of the nearshore breaking wave zone to generate electricity was introduced in 2016 by Shintake. The Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University’s project aims to take advantage of breaking wave energy to harness electricity. The 2016 version of the device consisted only of a bare turbine and power generator. Early exploration of the design recorded short periods and high impact wave pressures were experienced by the structure, with the turbine unable to harvest energy effectively. Additional structure to not only reduce incoming impact pressure but also increase the duration of water flow through the turbine was needed. These are the main reasons behind incorporating the duct attachment into the design. This paper show that the duct is capable of halving the impact pressure experienced by the turbine and can increase the energy exposure by up to 1.6 times the bare turbine configuration. Furthermore, it is also said that wave angle (β) = 40° is the critical angle, although the duct still increases wave energy exposure to the power take-off up to β = 60°.

Oceanographic survey on current due to breaking wave for energy generations: a case study of Pacitan bay, East Java, Indonesia

“…In a significant wave height of 1 meter, the turbine can reach Cp 0,38 at maximum. The ducting structure in this system is in charge of directing the flow and increasing the flow velocity up to six times [11], [20]. This research was carried out until the WEC prototype was created which was installed on a relatively mild ocean at Kandooma Island, Maldives.…”