• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.174-181
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• 2014

Design procedure of LEG(Linear Electric Generator) is introduced by performing the time-domain analysis for the heaving motion of a floating buoy coupled with LEG. A vertical truncated buoy is selected as a point absorber and a double-sided Halbach array mover and cored slotless stator is adopted as a linear electric generator. LEG with a double-sided Halbach array mover and cored slotless stator is designed with the input data such as the heave motion velocity and wave exciting forces in time-domain. The validity of designed LEG is confirmed by performing generating-characteristic-analysis under the sinusoidal motion of a buoy, based on the numerical techniques such as FE(Finite Element) analysis. In particular, an ECM(Equivalent Circuit Method) is employed as the design tool for the prediction of generating characteristics under irregular wave conditions. Finally, we confirm that the ECM gives reasonable and fast results without sacrifice of accuracy.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.9-16
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• 2011

The feasibility of wave energy extraction from a heaving truncated cylinder and the corresponding response of the linear electric generator (LEG) composed of spring, magnet, and coil has been investigated in the frame of three-dimensional linear potential theory. The heaving motion of a circular cylinder is calculated by means of the matched eigenfunction expansion method. Further, the analytical results are validated by numerical results using the ANSYS AQWA commercial code. By the action of a heaving circular cylinder, the magnet suspended by a spring can slide vertically inside the heaving cylinder. The mechanical power is extracted from the magnet motion relative to the coil/stator which is attached to the cylinder. The coupled ODE of a heaving cylinder and LEG system in waves is derived to obtain the magnet motion relative to a cylinder. To maximize the relative motion of the magnet, both the buoy draft and the LEG system parameters (spring stiffness, damping) should be selected properly for generating the double resonance considering the peak frequency of the target spectrum.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.146-152
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• 2014

Design procedure of WEC (wave energy converter) using the heaving motion of a floating cylinder-type buoy coupled with LEG (linear electric generator) system is introduced. It is seen that the maximum power can actually be obtained at the optimal conditions ($c_{PTO}=b_T$, ${\omega}={\omega}_N$). Then, based on the developed theory, several design strategies are proposed to further enhance the maximum PTO (power take off), which includes the intentional mismatching with the heave natural frequency, which is 15% higher value than the peak frequency of input velocity spectrum. By using the intentional mismatching strategy, the generated power is actually increased and the corresponding draft as well as the required PTO damping value is significantly reduced, which is a big advantage in manufacturing the WEC with practical LEG (linear electric generator) system.

• Ocean Systems Engineering
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.203-217
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• 2013

A PTO (power-take-off) mechanism by using relative heave motions between a floating buoy and its inner mass (magnet or amateur) is suggested. The inner power take-off system is characterized by a mass with linear stiffness and damping. A vertical truncated cylinder is selected as a buoy and a special station-keeping system is proposed to minimize pitch motions while not affecting heave motions. By numerical examples, it is seen that the maximum power can actually be obtained at the optimal spring and damper condition, as predicted by the developed WEC(wave energy converter) theory. Then, based on the developed theory, several design strategies are proposed to further enhance the maximum PTO, which includes the intentional mismatching among heave natural frequency of the buoy, natural frequency of the inner dynamic system, and peak frequency of input wave spectrum. By using the intentional mismatching strategy, the generated power is actually increased and the required damping value is significantly reduced, which is a big advantage in designing the proposed WEC with practical inner LEG (linear electric generator) system.

• International Journal of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.25-34
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• 2017

The concentric dual-buoy Wave Energy Converter (WEC), which consists of external buoy (hallow-cylinder) with toroidal appendage and cylindrical internal buoy within the moon-pool is suggested in this research and its performance in various wave conditions is studied. The Linear Electric Generator (LEG), consisting of a permanent magnet and coils, is used as a direct Power Take-Off (PTO) system. To maximize the electrical energy extracted from the PTO system, the relative heave motions between the dual buoys must be highly amplified by the multiple resonance phenomena of dual-buoy and internal-fluid motions. The high-performance range can be widened by distributing those natural frequencies with respect to the peak frequency of the wave spectrum. The performance of the newly developed dual-buoy WEC was measured throughout the systematic 1:5.95-model test in regular and irregular waves conducted in a wave tank at Seoul National University. The model-test results are also validated by an independently developed numerical method.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.191-198
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• 2015

In this study, we proposed a new type of dual-buoy wave energy converter (WEC) exploiting multi-resonance and analyzed the experimental results from a model test in a 2-D wave flume. A dual-buoy WEC using multi-resonance has two advantages: high efficiency at the resonant frequencies and the potential to extend the frequency range available to extract wave power from the WEC. The suggested WEC was composed of an outer buoy and an inner buoy sliding vertically inside the outer buoy. As the power take-off device, a linear electric generator (LEG) consisting of permanent magnets and coils fixed at each buoy was adopted. Electricity was produced by the relative heave motion between the two buoys. To search for the optimal shape of a dual-buoy WEC, we conducted experiments on the heave motion of a two-body system in regular waves without an LEG installed. Model tests with six combinations of experimental models were conducted in order to find the motion characteristics of a dual-buoy WEC. It was found that model 2, which included a ring-shaped appendage to move the resonant frequency of the outer buoy toward a high value, showed a higher relative heave response amplitude operator (RAO) curve than model 1. In addition, the double-peak shape of the heave RAO curve shown for model 2 indicated the extension of the frequency range for extracting wave power in irregular waves.