• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.15-24
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• 2009

The results of a simulation study of variable liquid column oscillations in U-tanks with a novel control scheme are presented. The configuration under investigation is analogous to that of the tuned liquid-column damper used to suppress oscillatory motion in large structures like tall buildings and cargo ships. However, by virtue of an adequate controller, the response of amplitude of the U-tanks becomes larger in a desired frequency range. The motion of wave energy conversion system equipped with a variable liquid column oscillator is described by a series of nonlinear differential equations. The equations describe the motion of body under ocean wave excitation, and the motion of liquid with an air-spring effect caused by the compression and expansion of air in vertical liquid columns and air chambers. It is shown that the effect of the air-spring has a vital role to maintain the natural frequency of oscillation in the system to synchronize with the frequency of the ocean wave, thus the system provides the most effective mode for energy extraction from the ocean.

• Journal of the Society of Naval Architects of Korea
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.23-30
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• 1993

This rape deals with the experimental and theoretical investigations on the aerodynamic performance of the Wells turbine. The two-dimensional cascade theory is used to estimate the thrust and torque of turbine, and finally to yield an efficiency of turbine. The turbine is assumed to rotate with a constant rotational speed in a sinusoidally varying unsteady flow field. Experimental approach is made in a wave simulator, producing a sinusoidally reciprocating air flow corresponding to the wave motion in an Oscillating Water Column(OWC) chamber. Performance data of turbine measured at various operating conditions are analyzed and compared to numerical results in order to understand the overall features of a Wells turbine.

• Journal of Drive and Control
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.25-35
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• 2015

The hydraulic power-take-off mechanism (HPTO) is one of the most popular methods in wave energy converters (WECs). However, the conventional HPTO with only one direction motion has a number of drawbacks that limit its power capture capability. This paper proposes an adjustable moving angle wave energy converter (AMAWEC) and investigates the effect of the moving angle on the performance of the wave energy converter to find the optimal moving angle in order to increase the power capture capability as well as energy efficiency. A mathematical model of components from a floating buoy to a hydraulic motor was modeled. A small scale WEC test rig was fabricated to verify the power capture capability and efficiency of the proposed system through experiments.

• Journal of Korean Society of Coastal and Ocean Engineers
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.171-181
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• 2011

Recently, many studies have been attempted to save the cost of production and to build the ocean energy power generating system. The low-reflection structure with the wall-typed curtain which has a wave power generation system of OWC is known as the most effective energy conversion system. A three-dimensional numerical model was used to understand the characteristics of velocity of flows about compressed air and to estimate the pressure acting on the low-reflection structure due to the short-period waves. The three-dimensional numerical wave flume which is the model for the immiscible two-phase flow was applied in interpretation for this. The numerical simulation showed well about the changes in velocity of compressed air and the characteristics of pressure according to the change in the wave height and depth of the curtain wall. Additionally, the results found that there was the point of the maximum velocity of the compressed air when the reflection coefficient is at its lowest point.

• Journal of Korean Society of Coastal and Ocean Engineers
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.189-202
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• 2012

An Oscillating Water Column (OWC) wave generation system uses the air flow induced by the vertical motion of water column in the air chamber as a driving force of turbine. It is well known that OWC is one of the most efficient devices to harness wave power. This study estimated the air flow velocity from the time variation of the water level fluctuation in the air chamber under regular wave conditions using 3-dimensional numerical irregular wave tank (3D-NIT) model that can simulate the 3-dimensional irregular wave field. The applicability of the 3D-NIT model was validated by comparing numerically predicted air flow velocities with hydraulic experimental results. In addition, the characteristics of air flow frequency spectrum variation due to the incident frequency spectrum change, and the variations of frequency spectrum and wave reflection due to the existence of converter inside the air chamber were discussed. It is found that the phase difference exists in between the air flow velocity and the water level fluctuation inside the air chamber, and the peak frequency of the spectrum in water level fluctuation is amplified by the resonance in the air chamber.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.168-174
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• 2022

In a wave power generation system, the overtopping system is known as an overtopping wave energy converter (OWEC). The performance of an OWEC is affected by wave characteristics such as height and period because its power generation system is sensitive to those characteristics; these, as well as wave direction, depend on the sea. As these characteristics vary, it is hard for the OWEC to produce power in a stable manner. Therefore, it is necessary to find an appropriate shape for an OWEC, according to the characteristics of the sea it is in. This research verified the effect of the design of the OWEC ramp on the hydraulic efficiency using the smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) particle method. A total of 10 models were designed and used in simulations performed by selecting the design parameters of the ramp and changing the attack angle based on those parameters. The hydraulic efficiency was calculated based on the rate of discharged water obtained from the analysis result. The effect of each variable on the overtopping performance according to the shape of the ramp was then confirmed. In this study, we present suggestions for determining the direction for an appropriately shaped OWEC ramp, based on a specific sea area.

• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.552-558
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• 2011

A 50 kW class rotating body type wave energy converter consisted of two floating bodies and a PTO (Power Takeoff) unit is studied. As an wave energy extractor, the body is designed to have a VLCO (Variable Liquid-Column Oscillator) having a liquid filled U-tube with air chambers. Owing to the oscillation of the liquid in the U-tube caused by the air spring effect of the air chambers, the amplitude of response of the VLCO becomes significantly amplified for a target wave period. The PTO converts the rotational moment introduced from the relative motion of the hinged bodies to an hydraulic power by means of a cylinder. A high pressure accumulator, hydraulic motor and a generator are equipped in the PTO to convert the hydraulic power to electric power. A control law for adjusting the oscillation period of the VLCO is proposed for the efficient operation of the VLCO with various wave conditions. It is found that the effect of the air spring has an important role to play in making the oscillation of the VLCO match with the ocean wave. In this way, the wave energy converter equipped with the VLCO provides the most effective mode for extracting energy from the ocean wave.

• The Journal of the Korea institute of electronic communication sciences
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.1195-1204
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• 2021

In this paper, we present an optimal design method for wave power generators using the response surface analysis. Especially, in our method, we reduce the mechanical loss by selecting the linear generator whose linear movement can be converted to the electrical energy directly with the vertical movement of waves. Therefore, we calculate the exciting force acting on the drive device in a slow-wave condition and determine the winding process with a ratio of the slots and poles for the improvement of energy conversion efficiency. In addition, we employ the regression analysis for deriving the shape factors of the stator and the translator, which have a significant effect on the performance of a generator. We choose the best design variables through the response surface analysis, and then we study the optimization method for designing the efficient experiment using the analysis results. Finally, we show the validity of the proposed method through the simulation results.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.29 no.7
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• pp.992-1001
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• 2023

OWEC (Overtopping Wave Energy Converter) is a wave power generation system using the wave overtopping. The performance and safety of the OWEC are affected by wave characteristics, such as wave height, period. To mitigate this issue, optimal OWEC designs based on wave characteristics must be investigated. In this study, the environmental conditions along the Ulleungdo coast were used. The hydraulic efficiency of the OWEC was calculated using SPH (Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics) by comparing 4 models that changed the substructure. As a result, it was possible to change the substructure. Through design optimization, a new truss-type structure, which is a substructure capable of carrying the design load, was proposed. Through a case study using member diameter and thickness as design variables, structural safety was secured under allowable stress conditions. Considering wave load, the natural frequency of the proposed structure was compared with the wave period of the relevant sea area. Harmonic response analysis was performed using wave with a 1-year return period as the load. The proposed substructure had a reduced response magnitude at the same exciting force, and achieved weight reduction of more than 32%.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.260-276
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• 2024

The purpose of this study is to explore whether pre-service teachers majoring in earth science improve their perception of computational thinking through STEAM classes focused on engineering-based wave power plants. The STEAM class involved designing the most efficient wave power plant model. The survey on computational thinking practices, developed from previous research, was administered to 15 Earth science pre-service teachers to gauge their understanding of computational thinking. Each group developed an efficient wave power plant model based on the scientific principal of turbine operation using waves. The activities included problem recognition (problem solving), coding (coding and programming), creating a wave power plant model using a 3D printer (design and create model), and evaluating the output to correct errors (debugging). The pre-service teachers showed a high level of recognition of computational thinking practices, particularly in "logical thinking," with the top five practices out of 14 averaging five points each. However, participants lacked a clear understanding of certain computational thinking practices such as abstraction, problem decomposition, and using bid data, with their comprehension of these decreasing after the STEAM lesson. Although there was a significant reduction in the misconception that computational thinking is "playing online games" (from 4.06 to 0.86), some participants still equated it with "thinking like a computer" and "using a computer to do calculations". The study found slight improvements in "problem solving" (3.73 to 4.33), "pattern recognition" (3.53 to 3.66), and "best tool selection" (4.26 to 4.66). To enhance computational thinking skills, a practice-oriented curriculum should be offered. Additional STEAM classes on diverse topics could lead to a significant improvement in computational thinking practices. Therefore, establishing an educational curriculum for multisituational learning is essential.