Dual-Point Wave Energy Converter Linkage Anchoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Dual-point wave energy converters moored to the seabed are costly, have large footprints, and are inefficient outside the design wave period range, with power generation dependent on wave periods and requiring expensive umbilical cables for above-water installations.
Innovation Solution
A dual-point absorber system with a first buoy of lower hydrostatic stiffness and a second buoy, connected via a linkage to an above-water installation, which reduces heave movement and includes a power take-off to transmit movement to an electric generator, optionally with an energy storage system and external power take-offs to optimize energy harvesting across varying sea states.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a dual-point absorber is moored to the seabed using a single- or three-leg mooring system, then the system can be anchored and operated, but the cost of components and installation/removal operations increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the mooring function from the seabed and relocates it to an above-water installation. The buoy is connected to the above-water installation via a linkage instead of being moored to the seabed, eliminating the need for complex seabed mooring systems while maintaining anchoring capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The above-water installation serves as an intermediary structure that provides anchoring support. Instead of directly mooring to the seabed, the system uses the above-water installation as a mediator, simplifying the mooring system while maintaining reliability.
2Reliability
If a dual-point absorber is moored to the seabed, then the system can be anchored, but the footprint on the seabed and watch circle at the surface increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the anchoring function from the seabed and relocates it to an above-water installation. This eliminates the need for large seabed footprints and reduces the surface watch circle, as the buoy is connected to the above-water installation via a linkage rather than being moored to the seabed.
3Ease of operation
If an umbilical cable is run from the spar down to the seabed and then up the water column to the above-water installation, then power can be transmitted to the above-water installation, but the cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the power transmission connection from the seabed route and establishes a direct connection between the buoy and the above-water installation. The linkage that connects the buoy to the above-water installation also serves as the power transmission path, eliminating the need for expensive umbilical cables routed through the seabed.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the spar is not restrained in heave, then the dual-point absorber can operate, but a portion of wave energy is stored as kinetic energy and damped without generating electricity, reducing efficiency outside the design period range
Solution Approach 1:
The linkage provides a dynamic connection that allows controlled heave movement. The linkage can be designed with appropriate degrees of freedom to allow the buoy to move with waves while maintaining connection to the above-water installation, enabling energy extraction across a broader range of wave periods.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameters by connecting to an above-water installation that can accommodate various wave conditions. This allows the system to operate effectively outside the original design period range by adjusting the linkage characteristics and above-water installation response.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Increases power generation efficiency outside the design wave period range and facilitates connection to above-water installations without seabed anchors, enhancing energy harvesting and reducing costs by minimizing heave motion and using a linkage to restrict buoy movement.
Implementation Method 1
A dual-point absorber is a type of wave energy converter (WEC) that generates power from the waves in a body of water based on the relative displacement between its two floating bodies
Implementation Method 2
The power take-off may be configured to transmit the movement of the second buoy relative to the first buoy to an electric generator
Implementation Method 3
The linkage may be configured to reduce, in use, a heave movement of the first buoy that is caused by waves
Data Source
AI summary
A dual-point absorber includes a first buoy, a second buoy, and a power take-off. The first buoy of the dual-point absorber is connected to a linkage. The second buoy of the dual-point absorber is capable of a movement relative to the first buoy. The power take-off is coupled to the first buoy and the second buoy. The linkage can be used to reduce a heave movement of the first buoy that is caused by waves.