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High-Efficient Wave Energy Conversion of a Two-Body Point Absorber with a Mechanical Motion Rectifier PTO

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Background

  • Power Take-off (PTO) systems of Wave Energy Converter (WEC) facing the challenges of low reliability and efficiency

  • Energy harvesting bandwidth of the WECs are limited

  • Hydrodynamics of the two-body point absorber lack of optimization for maximum power absorption


Innovation

  • Implement Mechanical Motion Rectifier (MMR) PTO to improve the reliability of efficiency

  • Using the two-body self-reactive structure design to improve the bandwidth for power absorption

  • Optimized the shape of a submerged body to reduce the drag and improve the total power absorption


Approach

  • Adopted iterative approach to improve the mechanical design

  • Conducted dry lab bench test to verify the performance of the PTO

  • Conducted scaled model wave tank test to verify the performance of the overall design


Achievement

  • PTO efficiency improved significantly and reached 81%

  • Two-body structure design achieved more than 80% of improvement

  • Configuration with optimized second body achieved more than 70% of improvement

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