IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v8y2016i12p1339-d85566.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Laboratory Tests in the Development of WaveCat

Author

Listed:
  • James Allen

    (School of Marine Science and Engineering, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AA, UK)

  • Konstantinos Sampanis

    (School of Marine Science and Engineering, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AA, UK)

  • Jian Wan

    (School of Marine Science and Engineering, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AA, UK)

  • Deborah Greaves

    (School of Marine Science and Engineering, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AA, UK)

  • Jon Miles

    (School of Marine Science and Engineering, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AA, UK)

  • Gregorio Iglesias

    (School of Marine Science and Engineering, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AA, UK)

Abstract

WaveCat, a novel overtopping Wave Energy Converter, was tested with the aim of determining its performance under different sea states, establishing a starting point for optimisation of the device, numerical model validation and proof-of-concept for the control systems. The tests were carried out at a 1:30 scale in the Ocean Basin of the COAST Laboratory at University of Plymouth. A state-of-the-art control system was implemented, and overtopping rates and device motions were recorded alongside the wave field. It was observed that power generation is dependent on both the wave height and period, with smaller periods tending to produce greater overtopping rates, and therefore greater power generation, for the same wave height. Due to time constraints in the laboratory, only one configuration of draft/freeboard was tested; with this configuration, overtopping occurred under significant wave heights of 0.083 m or more, corresponding to 2.5 m or more in prototype values. These experimental results form the basis for future development and optimisation of WaveCat.

Suggested Citation

  • James Allen & Konstantinos Sampanis & Jian Wan & Deborah Greaves & Jon Miles & Gregorio Iglesias, 2016. "Laboratory Tests in the Development of WaveCat," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(12), pages 1-12, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:8:y:2016:i:12:p:1339-:d:85566
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/8/12/1339/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/8/12/1339/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mirzaei, Ali & Tangang, Fredolin & Juneng, Liew, 2015. "Wave energy potential assessment in the central and southern regions of the South China Sea," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 454-470.
    2. Abanades, J. & Greaves, D. & Iglesias, G., 2015. "Coastal defence using wave farms: The role of farm-to-coast distance," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 572-582.
    3. Neill, Simon P. & Hashemi, M. Reza, 2013. "Wave power variability over the northwest European shelf seas," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 31-46.
    4. Iglesias, G. & Carballo, R., 2009. "Wave energy potential along the Death Coast (Spain)," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 34(11), pages 1963-1975.
    5. Carballo, R. & Sánchez, M. & Ramos, V. & Fraguela, J.A. & Iglesias, G., 2015. "The intra-annual variability in the performance of wave energy converters: A comparative study in N Galicia (Spain)," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 138-146.
    6. Margheritini, L. & Vicinanza, D. & Frigaard, P., 2009. "SSG wave energy converter: Design, reliability and hydraulic performance of an innovative overtopping device," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 34(5), pages 1371-1380.
    7. Babarit, A., 2015. "A database of capture width ratio of wave energy converters," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 610-628.
    8. Sierra, J.P. & González-Marco, D. & Sospedra, J. & Gironella, X. & Mösso, C. & Sánchez-Arcilla, A., 2013. "Wave energy resource assessment in Lanzarote (Spain)," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 480-489.
    9. Iglesias, G. & López, M. & Carballo, R. & Castro, A. & Fraguela, J.A. & Frigaard, P., 2009. "Wave energy potential in Galicia (NW Spain)," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 34(11), pages 2323-2333.
    10. Iglesias, G. & Carballo, R., 2010. "Offshore and inshore wave energy assessment: Asturias (N Spain)," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 1964-1972.
    11. Mariano Buccino & Davide Banfi & Diego Vicinanza & Mario Calabrese & Giuseppe Del Giudice & Armando Carravetta, 2012. "Non Breaking Wave Forces at the Front Face of Seawave Slotcone Generators," Energies, MDPI, vol. 5(11), pages 1-25, November.
    12. Iglesias, G. & Carballo, R., 2010. "Wave energy resource in the Estaca de Bares area (Spain)," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(7), pages 1574-1584.
    13. Lund, Henrik, 2007. "Renewable energy strategies for sustainable development," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 32(6), pages 912-919.
    14. Iglesias, G. & Carballo, R., 2011. "Wave resource in El Hierro—an island towards energy self-sufficiency," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(2), pages 689-698.
    15. Pérez-Collazo, C. & Greaves, D. & Iglesias, G., 2015. "A review of combined wave and offshore wind energy," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 141-153.
    16. Kofoed, Jens Peter & Frigaard, Peter & Friis-Madsen, Erik & Sørensen, Hans Chr., 2006. "Prototype testing of the wave energy converter wave dragon," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 31(2), pages 181-189.
    17. Iglesias, G. & Carballo, R., 2010. "Wave energy and nearshore hot spots: The case of the SE Bay of Biscay," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(11), pages 2490-2500.
    18. López-Ruiz, Alejandro & Bergillos, Rafael J. & Ortega-Sánchez, Miguel, 2016. "The importance of wave climate forecasting on the decision-making process for nearshore wave energy exploitation," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 182(C), pages 191-203.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Diego Vicinanza & Mariano Buccino, 2017. "A Helicopter View of the Special Issue on Wave Energy Converters," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(2), pages 1-4, February.
    2. Xu, Sheng & Wang, Shan & Guedes Soares, C., 2019. "Review of mooring design for floating wave energy converters," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 595-621.
    3. López-Ruiz, Alejandro & Bergillos, Rafael J. & Lira-Loarca, Andrea & Ortega-Sánchez, Miguel, 2018. "A methodology for the long-term simulation and uncertainty analysis of the operational lifetime performance of wave energy converter arrays," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 126-135.
    4. Berrio, Y. & Rivillas-Ospina, G. & Ruiz-Martínez, G. & Arango-Manrique, A. & Ricaurte, C. & Mendoza, E. & Silva, R. & Casas, D. & Bolívar, M. & Díaz, K., 2023. "Energy conversion and beach protection: Numerical assessment of a dual-purpose WEC farm," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 219(P2).
    5. Zhang, Yongxing & Zhao, Yongjie & Sun, Wei & Li, Jiaxuan, 2021. "Ocean wave energy converters: Technical principle, device realization, and performance evaluation," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).
    6. Chen, Zhongfei & Zhou, Binzhen & Zhang, Liang & Li, Can & Zang, Jun & Zheng, Xiongbo & Xu, Jianan & Zhang, Wanchao, 2018. "Experimental and numerical study on a novel dual-resonance wave energy converter with a built-in power take-off system," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 165(PA), pages 1008-1020.
    7. Dongsheng Qiao & Rizwan Haider & Jun Yan & Dezhi Ning & Binbin Li, 2020. "Review of Wave Energy Converter and Design of Mooring System," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-31, October.
    8. Alireza Shadmani & Mohammad Reza Nikoo & Riyadh I. Al-Raoush & Nasrin Alamdari & Amir H. Gandomi, 2022. "The Optimal Configuration of Wave Energy Conversions Respective to the Nearshore Wave Energy Potential," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(20), pages 1-29, October.
    9. Guo, Bingyong & Ringwood, John V., 2021. "Geometric optimisation of wave energy conversion devices: A survey," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 297(C).
    10. López-Ruiz, Alejandro & Bergillos, Rafael J. & Raffo-Caballero, Juan M. & Ortega-Sánchez, Miguel, 2018. "Towards an optimum design of wave energy converter arrays through an integrated approach of life cycle performance and operational capacity," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 209(C), pages 20-32.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Carballo, R. & Sánchez, M. & Ramos, V. & Taveira-Pinto, F. & Iglesias, G., 2014. "A high resolution geospatial database for wave energy exploitation," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 572-583.
    2. Ramos, V. & Ringwood, John V., 2016. "Exploring the utility and effectiveness of the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) wave energy resource assessment and characterisation standard: A case study," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 668-682.
    3. Veigas, M. & López, M. & Iglesias, G., 2014. "Assessing the optimal location for a shoreline wave energy converter," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 404-411.
    4. Sierra, J.P. & Martín, C. & Mösso, C. & Mestres, M. & Jebbad, R., 2016. "Wave energy potential along the Atlantic coast of Morocco," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 96(PA), pages 20-32.
    5. Morim, Joao & Cartwright, Nick & Etemad-Shahidi, Amir & Strauss, Darrell & Hemer, Mark, 2016. "Wave energy resource assessment along the Southeast coast of Australia on the basis of a 31-year hindcast," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 184(C), pages 276-297.
    6. Astariz, S. & Iglesias, G., 2015. "The economics of wave energy: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 397-408.
    7. Carballo, R. & Sánchez, M. & Ramos, V. & Fraguela, J.A. & Iglesias, G., 2015. "The intra-annual variability in the performance of wave energy converters: A comparative study in N Galicia (Spain)," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 138-146.
    8. Sierra, Joan Pau & White, Adam & Mösso, Cesar & Mestres, Marc, 2017. "Assessment of the intra-annual and inter-annual variability of the wave energy resource in the Bay of Biscay (France)," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 853-868.
    9. Iglesias, G. & Carballo, R., 2014. "Wave farm impact: The role of farm-to-coast distance," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 375-385.
    10. Bento, A. Rute & Martinho, Paulo & Guedes Soares, C., 2018. "Wave energy assessement for Northern Spain from a 33-year hindcast," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 322-333.
    11. Zhou, Guoqing & Huang, Jingjin & Zhang, Guangyun, 2015. "Evaluation of the wave energy conditions along the coastal waters of Beibu Gulf, China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 449-457.
    12. Carballo, R. & Sánchez, M. & Ramos, V. & Castro, A., 2014. "A tool for combined WEC-site selection throughout a coastal region: Rias Baixas, NW Spain," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 11-19.
    13. Veigas, M. & Ramos, V. & Iglesias, G., 2014. "A wave farm for an island: Detailed effects on the nearshore wave climate," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 801-812.
    14. Zheng, Chong-wei, 2021. "Global oceanic wave energy resource dataset—with the Maritime Silk Road as a case study," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 169(C), pages 843-854.
    15. Eugen Rusu, 2014. "Evaluation of the Wave Energy Conversion Efficiency in Various Coastal Environments," Energies, MDPI, vol. 7(6), pages 1-17, June.
    16. Sierra, J.P. & Mösso, C. & González-Marco, D., 2014. "Wave energy resource assessment in Menorca (Spain)," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 51-60.
    17. Joensen, Bárður & Niclasen, Bárður A. & Bingham, Harry B., 2021. "Wave power assessment in Faroese waters using an oceanic to nearshore scale spectral wave model," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 235(C).
    18. Mirzaei, Ali & Tangang, Fredolin & Juneng, Liew, 2015. "Wave energy potential assessment in the central and southern regions of the South China Sea," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 454-470.
    19. Ribeiro, A.S. & deCastro, M. & Costoya, X. & Rusu, Liliana & Dias, J.M. & Gomez-Gesteira, M., 2021. "A Delphi method to classify wave energy resource for the 21st century: Application to the NW Iberian Peninsula," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 235(C).
    20. Rusu, Liliana & Onea, Florin, 2015. "Assessment of the performances of various wave energy converters along the European continental coasts," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 889-904.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:8:y:2016:i:12:p:1339-:d:85566. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.