Dynamic mooring system for water wave energy convertors

Abstract

A dynamic adaptive mooring system for wave energy converters (WEC) is disclosed that has a mooring configuration that has a set of fixed mooring lines, and a set of movable mooring lines. When an incoming wave train interacts with the fixed WECs, a set of wave interference points that have higher wave amplitudes than the incoming wave train are formed downstream of the fixed WECs. The movable WECs are then positioned at the interface points to optimize wave energy transfer.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates in general to energy harvesting from the ocean waves and in particular to Wave Energy Convertors (WECs).BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Ocean waves are a source of significant amount of renewable energy that are relatively concentrated, allowing for energy extraction using relatively small devices. Wave Energy Convertors (WECs) are one type of such energy extraction devices, at are held by a set of a buoy, which utilize the water wave motion to produce electrical energy. A typical WEC comprises of elements that move with respect to each other in response to passing water waves. The moving elements drive an energy transducer for generating useful energy.[0003]U.S. Pat. No. 6,768,217 describes a WEC comprising a tube vertically movable relative to an anchored float, which tube is reciprocating in response to overpassing waves and driving a transducer for energy generation. The WEC also comprises a motion translator for reducin...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

This system significantly increases energy harvesting efficiency, allows for closer placement of WECs, reduces costs, and adapts to varying wave conditions, enabling scalable and efficient wave energy generation across different seasons and directions.

Problems solved by technology

A problem with this mooring arrangement, however, is that if a plurality of WECs is used, for increasing the amount of generated power, a mooring arrangement using three anchors and three ASBs for each WEC is both expensive and space consuming.

One issue with the current WEC plants that are fixed in space is that WECs leave behind a trail of diffracted waves with lesser energy potential.

This limits the scalability of such systems.

In addition, they need costly mooring systems and have to run wires and subsea cables at much longer distance.

Wave interference, both constructive (summing amplitudes) and destructive (cancelling amplitudes), occurs within a WEC array when a wave encounters the first line of WEC.

Current systems are fixed and thereby unable to predict or move to where constructive zones will occur, limiting their maximum output potential and packing density.

This increases costs from mooring the WECs individually and connecting the systems to electricity infrastructure via subsea umbilical cables.

This also uses up a much larger area of the ocean possibly disrupting marine ecosystems and shipping routes.

Therefore, a fixed system cannot effectively use all wave characteristics, including the seasonality and other effects.

The diffraction patterns of waves may change, and a fixed WEC system cannot adjust to resolve for such changes.

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