• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.361-366
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• 2016

The aim of this study was to experimentally investigate the hydrodynamic performance of a hemispheric wave energy converter (WEC) and its wave power takeoff. The WEC is a heaving body-type point absorber with a hydraulic-pump power take-off (PTO) system. The hydraulic PTO system consists of a hydraulic cylinder, hydraulic motor, and generator, with consideration given to the hydraulic pressure and flow rate. Two body model shapes, including the original hemisphere and a bottom-chopped hemisphere, were considered. The heave RAOs of the two models were evaluated for various body drafts. The effects of the hydraulic PTO system on the RAOs were also investigated.