• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.296-304
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• 2021

Research on the development of marine renewable energy is actively in progress. Various studies are being conducted on the development of wave energy converters. In this study, a numerical analysis of wave-energy extraction performance was performed according to the body shape and scale of the sloped oscillating water column (OWC) wave energy converter (WEC), which can be connected with the breakwater. The sloped OWC WEC was modeled in the time domain using a two-dimensional fully nonlinear numerical wave tank. The nonlinear free surface condition in the chamber was derived to represent the pneumatic pressure owing to the wave column motion and viscous energy loss at the chamber entrance. The free surface elevations in the sloped chamber were calculated at various incident wave periods. For verification, the results were compared with the 1:20 scaled model test. The maximum wave energy extraction was estimated with a pneumatic damping coefficient. To calculate the energy extraction of the actual size WEC, OWC models approximately 20 times larger than the scale model were calculated, and the viscous damping coefficient according to each size was predicted and applied. It was verified that the energy, owing to the airflow in the chamber, increased as the incident wave period increased, and the maximum efficiency of energy extraction was approximately 40% of the incident wave energy. Under the given incident wave conditions, the maximum extractable wave power at a chamber length of 5 m and a skirt draft of 2 m was approximately 4.59 kW/m.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.8-13
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• 2011

A compact array system of small buoys is used for wave energy extraction. To evaluate the performance of this system, hydrodynamic analysis is carried out in regular waves using the higher order boundary element method. The motion response of each buoy is calculated considering hydrodynamic interactions caused by other buoys. The effect of energy extraction device is modeled as a linear damping load. The efficiencies of energy conversion are compared using the various sizes and arrangements of the array system and the damping coefficients for energy extraction. The increase in size or the packing ratio of the system gives better efficiency. However, the wave condition and the cost for the system should be considered to optimize performance from the perspective of engineering and economics. The proposed nondimensionalized damping coefficient for energy extraction is 0.1~0.5.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.132-142
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• 2022

We investigate the performance of multi-body wave energy converters (WECs). This investigation considers multiple scattering of water waves by the buoys of a WEC under the generalized mode approach. Predominantly, the effect of a WEC's configuration on its energy extraction is studied in this research. First, single-row terminator and single-column attenuator arrays of vertical cylinders have been studied. The performance of these attenuator arrays shows that the wall effect induced by the periodic buoys influences the wave propagation and energy extraction in these WECs. Further studies show that a single-row terminator array of vertical cylinders performs better than the corresponding single-column attenuator array. Subsequently, multi-row terminator arrays of vertical cylinders are investigated by conducting a parametric study. This parametric study shows that the hydrodynamic property of three resonance phenomena makes energy extraction efficiency drop down, and the magnitude of energy extracted oscillates between the resonance points in these WECs. Finally, a 4×8 terminator array of vertical cylinders is studied to determine the effect of various d_x (x-directional distance between adjacent rows) within this WEC on its performance. In particular, this study enforces at least two equal d_x values within the 4×8 terminator array of vertical cylinders. It shows that a small value of this d_x leads to better energy extraction efficiency in some of these various d_x arrays than that of a corresponding regular array with the same d_x.

• International Journal of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.178-186
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• 2021

The wave power extraction by multiple Wave Energy Converters (WECs) deployed in a Y-shaped Water Channel Resonator (WCR) has been investigated. A WCR consists of a long water channel, and a V-shaped wave guider installed at the entrance of a water channel. If the period of the incident waves coincides with the natural periods of the fluid in a WCR, resonance occurs, as a result, the internal fluid in a WCR is greatly amplified. To estimate the wave power by multiple WECs placed at the antinodal points in a WCR, the heave motion response, time-averaged power, and capture width ratio were calculated for several design parameters. Also, the systematic model tests were conducted in a 2D wave tank. The numerical results are in good agreement with the experimental data. It was verified that a WCR helps the WECs to produce electricity more effectively by amplifying the wave energy in a WCR.

• International Journal of Fluid Machinery and Systems
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.156-164
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• 2009

This paper aims to describe the importance of data, data collection methods, parameters to estimate the potential of wave energy and environmental impacts. The technical and economical status in wave energy conversion is outlined. Power and energy efficiency relationships are discussed. Many different types of wave-energy converters have been detailed. The progress in wave energy conversion in Malaysia is reviewed.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.474-483
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• 2014

The majority of existing WECs (wave energy converters) are designed to achieve maximum power at a resonance condition. In the case of a single WEC, its size must be large enough for tuning, and it has high efficiency only within a limited frequency band. Recently, wave power extraction by deploying many small buoys in a compact array has been studied under the assumption that the buoy's size and separation distance are much smaller than the water depth, wave length, and size of the array. A boundary value problem involving the macro-scale boundary condition on the mean surface covered by an infinite strip of buoys is solved using the eigenfunction expansion method. The energy extraction efficiency (${\varepsilon}=1-R^2_f-T^2_r$), where $R_f$ and $T_r$ are the reflection and transmission coefficients for a strip array of buoys, is assessed for various combinations of packing ratio, strip width, and PTO damping coefficient.

• Journal of Korean Society of Coastal and Ocean Engineers
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.180-190
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• 2018

The preliminary study was carried out to utilize the rolling porous pendulum plate as a hybrid system combining blocking and extracting of wave energy. The Galerkin method suggested by Porter and Evans (1995) was used to solve the diffraction and radiation problems to obtain reflection and transmission coefficient, roll displacement, extracted power. The Galerkin method provides better convergence than the matched eigenfunction expansion method (MEEM), which improves the accuracy of the analytical solution even if the CPU time is shorter. The porous plate can not be said to be more effective than the impermeable plate in terms of wave energy extraction and wave blocking, but it has the advantage of reducing the wave load and exchanging seawater.

• Journal of the Society of Naval Architects of Korea
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.388-397
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• 2010

A two-dimensional time-domain, potential-theory-based fully nonlinear numerical wave tank (NWT) was developed by using boundary element method and the mixed Eulerian-Lagrangian (MEL) approach for free-surface node treatment. The NWT was applied to prediction of primary wave energy conversion efficiency of a bottom-mounted oscillating water column (OWC) wave power device. The nonlinear free-surface condition inside the chamber was specially devised to represent the pneumatic pressure due to airflow velocity and viscous energy loss at the chamber entrance due to wave column motion. The newly developed NWT technique was verified through comparison with given experimental results. The maximum energy extraction was estimated with various chamber-air duct volume ratios.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.208-218
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• 2017

The performance of a wave energy converter (WEC) that uses the rolling motion of a partially submerged pendulum plate in front of a quay wall was analyzed. The wave exciting moment and hydrodynamic moment were obtained using a matched eigenfunction expansion method (MEEM) based on the linear potential theory, and then the roll motion response of a pendulum plate, time averaged extracted power, and efficiency were investigated. The optimal PTO damping coefficient was suggested to give the optimal extracted power. The peak value of the optimal extracted power occurs at the resonant frequency. The resonant peak and its width increase as the submergence depth of the pendulum plate decreases and thickness of the pendulum plate increases. An increase in the wave incidence angle reduces the efficiency of the wave energy converter. In addition, the WEC using a rolling pendulum plate contributes not only to the extraction of the wave energy, but also to a reduction in the waves reflected from the quay wall, which helps to stabilize ships going near the quay wall.

• International Journal of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.739-749
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• 2015

A new conceptual dual-buoy Wave Energy Converter (WEC) for the enhancement of energy extraction efficiency is suggested. Based on actual wave data, the design process for the suggested WEC is conducted in such a way as to ensure that it is suitable in real sea. Actual wave data measured in Korea's East Sea (position: $36.404N^{\circ}$ and $129.274E^{\circ}$) from May 1, 2002 to March 29, 2005 were used as the input wave spectrum for the performance estimation of the dual-buoy WEC. The suggested WEC, a point absorber type, consists of two concentric floating circular cylinders (an inner and a hollow outer buoy). Multiple resonant frequencies in proposed WEC affect the Power Ttake-off (PTO) performance of the WEC. Based on the numerical results, several design strategies are proposed to further enhance the extraction efficiency, including intentional mismatching among the heave natural frequencies of dual buoys, the natural frequency of the internal fluid, and the peak frequency of the input wave spectrum.