A prototype point absorber style wave energy converter has been proposed for deployment off the West coast of Vancouver Island near the remote village of Hotsprings Cove in Hesquiaht Sound; a site identified as having significant wave energy potential. The proposed design consists of two components, a long unique cylindrical spar and a concentric toroid float. To serve ongoing wave energy converter (WEC) dynamics modelling and control research in support of that project, an experimental facility for small scale physical model testing is desired at UVIC. In the immediate term, the facility could be used to determine the hydrodynamic coefficients over a range of wave frequencies. Refined estimates of the hydrodynamic coefficients would be exploited in the optimisation of the WEC geometry. To date, WEC research at UVIC has neglected the frequency dependence of the hydrodynamic coefficients, relying on limited experimental results to provide a single frequency invariant set of coefficient estimates. / Graduate / 0791 / 0547 / 0548 / mercedes.baylis@hotmail.com

Abstract     In this project, I present a design of a scale model of a linear generator (LG) similar to a full size Wave Energy Converter (WEC) being developed at Uppsala University since 2002 and commercialized by Seabased AB. The purpose of a WEC is to convert the energy from ocean waves into electrical energy. In order to implement the behaviour of the prototype design, a preliminary study has been done to further build it for use in education, laboratory tests and research. The challenge with this project is to scale down the WEC but maintain the shape, appearance and characteristics of the generator for educational purposes. A miniature version of a WEC, previously developed by Uppsala University in collaboration with Seabased Industry AB, has been designed with scaling rate 1:14 of the linear dimensions. In this case, the value of the output power is not important- it has simply been calculated. The electrical rated parameters of the three phase generator are power  26 W,  peak line-line voltage  13 V and  rated armature current  2 A. The mechanical parameters utilized in the design are the total length and the diameter of the miniature WEC, 50 cm and 25 cm, respectively. The simulated prototype model (described in Section 5.4) has been validated with an experimental setup comprising translator and stator (described in Section 5.1), where the translator is moved by a programmed industrial robot. The experimental results have shown good agreement with the simulations.

The interaction between water waves and a floating or fixed body is bi-directional: wave forces act on and cause motion in the body, and the body alters the wave field. The impact of the body on its wave field is important to understand because: 1) it may have positive or negative consequences on the natural or built environment; 2) multiple bodies in proximity interact via the waves that are scattered and radiated by them; and 3) in ocean wave energy conversion, by conservation of energy, as a device absorbs energy, so too must the energy be removed from the wave field. Herein, the cylindrical solutions to the linear wave boundary-value problem are used to analyze the floating body wave field. These solutions describe small-amplitude, harmonic, potential-flow waves in the form of a Fourier summation of incoming and outgoing, partial, cylindrical, wave components. For a given geometry and mode of motion, the scattered or radiated waves are characterized by a particular set of complex cylindrical coefficients. A novel method is developed for finding the cylindrical coefficients of a scattered or radiated wave field by making measurements, either computationally or experimentally, over a circular-cylindrical surface that circumscribes the body and taking a Fourier transform as a function of spatial direction. To isolate evanescent modes, measurements are made on the free-surface and as a function of depth. The technique is demonstrated computationally with the boundary-element method software, WAMIT. The resulting analytical wave fields are compared with those computed directly by WAMIT and the match is found to be within 0.1%. A similar measurement and comparisons are made with experimental results. Because of the difficulty in making depth-dependent measurements, only free-surface measurements were made with a circular wave gauge array, where the gauges were positioned far from the body in order to neglect evanescent modes. The experimental results are also very good. However, both high-order harmonics and wave reflections led to difficulties. To compute efficiently the wave interactions between multiple bodies, a well-known multiple-scattering theory is employed, in which waves that are scattered and radiated by one body are considered incident to another body, which in turn radiates and scatters waves, sending energy back to the first. Wave fields are given by their cylindrical representations and unknown scattered wave amplitudes are formulated into a linear system to solve the problem. Critical to the approach is the characterization of, for each unique geometry, the cylindrical forces, the radiated wave coefficients, and the scattered waves in the form of the diffraction transfer matrix. The method developed herein for determining cylindrical coefficients is extended to new methods for finding the quantities necessary to solve the interaction problem. The approach is demonstrated computationally with WAMIT for a simple cylinder and a more complex wave energy converter (WEC). Multiple-scattering computations are verified against direct computations from WAMIT and are performed for spectral seas and a very large array of 101 WECs. The multiple-scattering computation is 1,000- 10,000 times faster than a direct computation because each body is represented by 10s of wave coefficients, rather than 100s to 1,000s of panels. A new expression for wave energy absorption using cylindrical coefficients is derived, leading to a formulation of wave energy absorption efficiency, which is extended to a nondimensional parameter that relates to efficiency, capture width and gain. Cylindrical wave energy absorption analysis allows classical results of heaving and surging point absorbers to be easily reproduced and enables interesting computations of a WEC in three-dimensions. A Bristol Cylinder type WEC is examined and it is found that its performance can be improved by flaring its ends to reduce "end effects". Finally, a computation of 100% wave absorption is demonstrated using a generalized incident wave. Cylindrical representations of linear water waves are shown to be effective for the computations of wave-body wave fields, multi-body interactions, and wave power absorption, and novel methods are presented for determining cylindrical quantities. One of the approach's greatest attributes is that once the cylindrical coefficients are found, complex representations of waves in three dimensions are stored in vectors and matrices and are manipulated with linear algebra. Further research in cylindrical water waves will likely yield useful applications such as: efficient computations of bodies interacting with short-crested seas, and continued progress in the understanding of wave energy absorption efficiency.

This research revolves around the concept design and theoretical validation of a new type of wave energy converter (WEC), comprising a pitching floater integrated with a resonant U-tank (RUT) and a Wells turbine as power take-off (PTO). Theoretical formulation of a fully coupled multi-body dynamic system, incorporating the thermodynamic processes of the RUT air chamber, its interaction with the PTO dynamics and their coupling with the floater is presented. Inaccuracies of the dynamic modeling of RUT based on Lloyd's low order model, which assumes constant hydrodynamic parameters irrespective of the frequency, are demonstrated by a series of high fidelity CFD simulations. These simulations are a systematic series of fully viscous turbulent simulations, using unsteady RANSE solvers, of the water sloshing at different frequencies of oscillation. Calibration of Lloyd’s model with CFD results evidenced that the RUT hydrodynamic parameters are not invariant to frequency. A numerical model was developed based on Simulink WEC-Sim libraries to solve the non-linear thermo-hydrodynamic equations of the device in time domain. For power assessment, parametric investigations are conducted by varying the main dimensions of the RUT and power RAOs were computed for each iteration. Performance in irregular sea state are assessed using a statistical approach with the assumption of linear wave theory. By superimposing spectrum energy density from two resource sites with RAO, mean annual energy production (MEAP) are computed. The predicted MEAP favorably compares with other existing devices, confirming the superior efficiency of the new proposed device over a larger range of incident wave frequency. / M.S. / This study present results of an investigation into a new type of wave energy converter which can be deployed in ocean and by its pitch response motion, it can harvest wave energy and convert it to electrical energy. This device consist of a floater, a U-tank (resonant U-tank) with sloshing water free to oscillate in response to the floater motion and a pneumatic turbine which produces power as air is forced to travel across it. The pneumatic turbine is used as the power take-off (PTO) device. A medium fidelity approach was taken to carry out this study by applying Lloyd’s model which describes the motion of the sloshing water in a resonant U-tank. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) studies were carried out to calibrate the hydrodynamic parameters of the resonant U-tank as described by Lloyd and it was discovered that these parameters are frequency dependent, therefore Lloyd’s model was modelled to be frequency dependent. The mathematical formulation coupling the thermodynamic evolution of air in the resonant U-tank chamber, modified Lloyd’s sloshing water equation, floater dynamics and PTO were presented for the integrated system. These set of thermo-hydrodynamic equations were solved with a numerical model developed using MATLAB/Simulink WEC-Sim Libraries in time domain in other to capture the non-linearity arising from the coupled dynamics. To assess the annual energy productivity of the device, wave statistical data from two resource sites, Western Hawaii and Eel River were selected and used to carrying out computations on different iterations of the device by varying the tank’s main dimensions. This results were promising with the most performing device iteration yielding mean annual energy production of 579 MWh for Western Hawaii.

As a clean, abundant, and renewable source of energy with a strategic location in close proximity to global population regions, ocean wave energy shows major promise. Although much wave energy converter development has focused on large-scale power generation, there is also increasing interest in small-scale applications for powering the blue economy. In this thesis, the objective was to optimize the performance of small-sized, portable, oscillating-body wave energy converters (WECs). Two types of oscillating body WECs were studied: bottom hinged and two-body attenuator. For the bottom-hinged device, the goal was to show the feasibility of an oscillating surge WEC and desalination system using numerical modeling to estimate the system performance. For a 5-day test period, the model estimated 517 L of freshwater production with 711 ppm concentration and showed effective brine discharge, agreeing well with preliminary experimental results. The objective for the two-body attenuator was to develop a method of power maximization through resonance tuning and numerical simulation. Three different geometries of body cross sections were used for the study with four different drag coefficients for each geometry. Power generation was maximized by adjusting body dimensions to match the natural frequency with the wave frequency. Based on the time domain simulation results, there was not a significant difference in power between the geometries when variation in drag was not considered, but the elliptical geometry had the highest power when using approximate drag coefficients. Using the two degree-of-freedom (2DOF) model with approximate drag coefficients, the elliptical cross section had a max power of 27.1 W and 7.36% capture width ratio (CWR) for regular waves and a max power of 8.32 W and 2.26% CWR for irregular waves. Using the three degree-of-freedom (3DOF) model with approximate drag coefficients, the elliptical cross section had a max power of 22.5 W and 6.12% CWR for regular waves and 6.18 W and 1.68% CWR for irregular waves. A mooring stiffness study was performed with the 3DOF model, showing that mooring stiffness can be increased to increase relative motion and therefore increase power. / Master of Science / As a clean, abundant, and renewable source of energy with a strategic location in close proximity to global population centers, ocean wave energy shows major promise. Although much wave energy converter development has focused on large-scale power generation, there is also increasing interest in small-scale applications for powering the blue economy. There are many situations where large-scale wave energy converter (WEC) devices are not necessary or practical, but easily-portable, small-sized WECs are suitable, including navigation signs, illumination, sensors, survival kits, electronics charging, and portable desalination. In this thesis, the objective was to optimize the performance of small-sized, oscillating body wave energy converters. Oscillating body WECs function by converting a device's wave-driven oscillating motion into useful power. Two types of oscillating body WECs were studied: bottom hinged and two-body attenuator. For the bottom-hinged device, the goal was to show the feasibility of a WEC and desalination system using numerical modeling to estimate the system performance. Based on the model results, the system will produce desirable amounts of fresh water with suitably low concentration and be effective at discharging brine. The objective for the two-body attenuator was to develop a method of power maximization through resonance tuning and numerical simulation. Based on the two- and three-degree-of-freedom model results with approximate drag coefficients, the elliptical cross section had the largest power absorption out of three different geometries of body cross sections. A mooring stiffness study with the three-degree-of-freedom model showed that mooring stiffness can be increased to increase power absorption.

<p>Denna rapport ger förslag på olika metoder att automatiskt justera flytläget på en statiskt förankrad boj, en överblick över de processer som styr ändringen av vattennivån och en statisktisk analys på vattennivåförändringarna vid Stockholm, Kungsholmsfort och Kungsvik.</p><p>Beroende på vattenivåns variation finns olika metoder för justering. Områden med små variationer av vattennivå lämpar det sig bäst utan någon som helst justering av flytläget. Områden med inte för stora tidvattensförändringar bör justeras med ett system bestående av vinsch, växellåda med en utväxling på 10 000:1, en 12 V DC motor, ett skötselfritt 12 V batteri, en luftlindad linjärgenerator och en trådtöjningsgivare. Områden med stora variationer i tidvatten behöver en avlastning för motorn i form av en fjäder och dämpare. De monteras horizontellt inuti bojen för att skyddas från den yttre miljön.</p><p>Den statistiska analysen påvisade de största vattennivåändringarna vid både Kungsviks och Kungsholmsforts mätstationer, båda uppvisade ett intervall på 1,6 m mellan minimum och maximum. Kungsvik var den station med de största dagliga variationerna, detta på grund av tidvattnets påverkan i området.</p> / <p>This thesis gives examples of different methods of automated adjustment of floatation level for a static moored buoy, an overview of the theories behind water level change and a statistical analysis of the water level changes for Stockholm, Kungsholmsfort and Kungsvik.</p><p>Depending on the range and frequency of the water level change different methods of adjustment are recommended. For areas with small changes in sea level the best choice would be no adjustment of the floatation level. Areas that are influenced by moderate tidal ranges should incorporate a system of regulation consisting of a winch, gearbox with a gear ratio of around 10,000:1, 12 V DC motor, 12 V maintenance free battery, air coiled linear generator and a strain gauge. For areas with large tidal ranges the previous system should be complimented with a horizontally mounted spring, inside the buoy, to lessen the loads on the motor.</p><p>The statistical analysis found the largest extremes in water level of the three sites to be at Kungsvik and Kungsholmsfort, both exhibiting a range of almost 1.6 m. Kungsvik was the station with the largest daily variations, this is because this is the only station influenced by tidal variations.</p>

Denna rapport ger förslag på olika metoder att automatiskt justera flytläget på en statiskt förankrad boj, en överblick över de processer som styr ändringen av vattennivån och en statisktisk analys på vattennivåförändringarna vid Stockholm, Kungsholmsfort och Kungsvik. Beroende på vattenivåns variation finns olika metoder för justering. Områden med små variationer av vattennivå lämpar det sig bäst utan någon som helst justering av flytläget. Områden med inte för stora tidvattensförändringar bör justeras med ett system bestående av vinsch, växellåda med en utväxling på 10 000:1, en 12 V DC motor, ett skötselfritt 12 V batteri, en luftlindad linjärgenerator och en trådtöjningsgivare. Områden med stora variationer i tidvatten behöver en avlastning för motorn i form av en fjäder och dämpare. De monteras horizontellt inuti bojen för att skyddas från den yttre miljön. Den statistiska analysen påvisade de största vattennivåändringarna vid både Kungsviks och Kungsholmsforts mätstationer, båda uppvisade ett intervall på 1,6 m mellan minimum och maximum. Kungsvik var den station med de största dagliga variationerna, detta på grund av tidvattnets påverkan i området. / This thesis gives examples of different methods of automated adjustment of floatation level for a static moored buoy, an overview of the theories behind water level change and a statistical analysis of the water level changes for Stockholm, Kungsholmsfort and Kungsvik. Depending on the range and frequency of the water level change different methods of adjustment are recommended. For areas with small changes in sea level the best choice would be no adjustment of the floatation level. Areas that are influenced by moderate tidal ranges should incorporate a system of regulation consisting of a winch, gearbox with a gear ratio of around 10,000:1, 12 V DC motor, 12 V maintenance free battery, air coiled linear generator and a strain gauge. For areas with large tidal ranges the previous system should be complimented with a horizontally mounted spring, inside the buoy, to lessen the loads on the motor. The statistical analysis found the largest extremes in water level of the three sites to be at Kungsvik and Kungsholmsfort, both exhibiting a range of almost 1.6 m. Kungsvik was the station with the largest daily variations, this is because this is the only station influenced by tidal variations.

Cette thèse porte sur le développement d'un ensemble d'outils numériques destinés à simuler différents aspects des interactions vagues-structure appliquées à l'exploitation des systèmes de récupération de l'énergie des vagues (SREV). Elle a été réalisée dans le cadre du projet ANR Monacorev (projet ANR11-MONU-018-01, 2012-2015).L'objectif est de pouvoir traiter la question des interactions à l'échelle d'une ferme de SREVs (≈ 1 km), et d'étudier l'impact d'une ou plusieurs fermes de SREVs à l'échelle régionale (≈ 10km) sur le champ de vague total. Des méthodes de modélisation et de simulation adaptées sont développées pour chacune de ces deux échelles. Jusqu'à présent, les interactions entre les SREVs étaient bien souvent étudiées en considérant que le fond était plat (l'influence d'un fond variable sur le champ de houle au niveau de la ferme étant alors jugé négligeable), ce qui permet de calculer facilement et rapidement le champ de vagues et les interactions grâce à l'utilisation de la théorie linéaire potentielle. Une application pratique de cette méthode est le calcul du rendement d'une ferme de SREVs, et l'optimisation de leurs positions relatives au sein d'un parc. Dans le cadre de la théorie linéaire, cette thèse propose une méthodologie de couplage originale entre un code de tenue à la mer (Aquaplus) et un code de propagation de la houle en zone côtière (Artemis), laquelle a été développée et qualifiée. Les simulations réalisées montrent que, pour une configuration de ferme de SREVs donnée, on ne peut pas toujours négliger les effets de la bathymétrie. Par exemple, la présence d'une plage de pente 10% au large d'une ferme de SREV peut modifier la hauteur des vagues de manière significative, et affecter ainsi le rendement de la ferme de manière significative par rapport au cas où le fond est uniformément plat. A l'échelle côtière régionale, il est aussi intéressant de simuler et prédire l'impact de fermes de SREVs sur le champ de vagues. Pour des raisons d'efficacité, une approche à phases moyennées de modélisation des vagues a été privilégiée, fondée sur le code spectral d'états de mer Tomawac. La représentation des effets d'un SREV à travers l'utilisation d'un terme puits (concept permettant de soustraire au spectre d'énergie d'état de mer local l'énergie correspondant à celle absorbée par le SREV), bien qu'incomplète du fait que les effets de radiation/diffraction ne sont pas pris en compte, a été étudiée et testée. Une nouvelle méthodologie prenant en compte ces effets dans un code spectral est présentée ici et testée, avec l'objectif de pallier à ces limitations. Les discussions sur la validité de deux approches permettent d'esquisser des pistes de développements ultérieurs pour la représentation des fermes de SREV à l'échelle régionale / This thesis focuses on the development of a set of numerical tools to simulate different aspects of the wave-body interactions applied to the exploitation of wave energy converters (WEC). It was conducted under the ANR Monacorev project (project-ANR11 MONU-018-01, 2012-2015).The objective is to address the issue of the interactions at the scale of a farm of WECs (≈ 1 km), and to study the impact of one or more WEC farms at the regional scale (≈ 10km ) on the total wave field. Modeling and simulation methods adapted for each of these two scales are developed. Until now, the interactions between WECs was often studied by considering that the bottom was flat (the influence of a variable bathymetry on the wave field at the farm site being considered to be negligible), allowing to easily and quickly calculate the wave field and interactions through the use of linear potential theory. A practical application of this method is the yield estimation for a WEC farm and the optimization of the WEC position within a park. In the framework of the linear theory, this thesis proposes an original coupling methodology between a seakeeping (Aquaplus) and a wave propagation code in coastal areas (Artemis), which was developed and qualified. Simulations show that, for a given WEC farm configuration, effects of the bathymetry cannot systematically ignored. For example, the presence of a 10% slope close to a WEC farm can significantly modify the wave height, and thus affect the performance of the farm by several percent compared to the case with a uniformly flat bottom. At the regional coastal scale, it is also interesting to simulate and predict the impact of WEC farms on the wave field. At this scale, for efficiency reasons, a phase-averaged simulation of waves was preferred, based on the sea state spectral code TOMAWAC. The representation of the effects of a WEC through the use of a sink-term (concept for subtracting the energy equivalent to that absorbed by the WEC to the sea state energy spectrum), though incomplete due to the fact that the scattering effects are not taken into account, has been studied and tested. A new methodology taking into account these effects in a spectral code is presented here and tested with the aim to overcome these limitations. Discussions on the validity of these approaches allow us to propose possible future developments for the modeling of WEC farm at the regional scale

Cette thèse porte sur le développement d'un ensemble d'outils numériques destinés à simuler différents aspects des interactions vagues-structure appliquées à l'exploitation des systèmes de récupération de l'énergie des vagues (SREV). Elle a été réalisée dans le cadre du projet ANR Monacorev (projet ANR11-MONU-018-01, 2012-2015).L'objectif est de pouvoir traiter la question des interactions à l'échelle d'une ferme de SREVs (≈ 1 km), et d'étudier l'impact d'une ou plusieurs fermes de SREVs à l'échelle régionale (≈ 10km) sur le champ de vague total. Des méthodes de modélisation et de simulation adaptées sont développées pour chacune de ces deux échelles. Jusqu'à présent, les interactions entre les SREVs étaient bien souvent étudiées en considérant que le fond était plat (l'influence d'un fond variable sur le champ de houle au niveau de la ferme étant alors jugé négligeable), ce qui permet de calculer facilement et rapidement le champ de vagues et les interactions grâce à l'utilisation de la théorie linéaire potentielle. Une application pratique de cette méthode est le calcul du rendement d'une ferme de SREVs, et l'optimisation de leurs positions relatives au sein d'un parc. Dans le cadre de la théorie linéaire, cette thèse propose une méthodologie de couplage originale entre un code de tenue à la mer (Aquaplus) et un code de propagation de la houle en zone côtière (Artemis), laquelle a été développée et qualifiée. Les simulations réalisées montrent que, pour une configuration de ferme de SREVs donnée, on ne peut pas toujours négliger les effets de la bathymétrie. Par exemple, la présence d'une plage de pente 10% au large d'une ferme de SREV peut modifier la hauteur des vagues de manière significative, et affecter ainsi le rendement de la ferme de manière significative par rapport au cas où le fond est uniformément plat. A l'échelle côtière régionale, il est aussi intéressant de simuler et prédire l'impact de fermes de SREVs sur le champ de vagues. Pour des raisons d'efficacité, une approche à phases moyennées de modélisation des vagues a été privilégiée, fondée sur le code spectral d'états de mer Tomawac. La représentation des effets d'un SREV à travers l'utilisation d'un terme puits (concept permettant de soustraire au spectre d'énergie d'état de mer local l'énergie correspondant à celle absorbée par le SREV), bien qu'incomplète du fait que les effets de radiation/diffraction ne sont pas pris en compte, a été étudiée et testée. Une nouvelle méthodologie prenant en compte ces effets dans un code spectral est présentée ici et testée, avec l'objectif de pallier à ces limitations. Les discussions sur la validité de deux approches permettent d'esquisser des pistes de développements ultérieurs pour la représentation des fermes de SREV à l'échelle régionale / This thesis focuses on the development of a set of numerical tools to simulate different aspects of the wave-body interactions applied to the exploitation of wave energy converters (WEC). It was conducted under the ANR Monacorev project (project-ANR11 MONU-018-01, 2012-2015).The objective is to address the issue of the interactions at the scale of a farm of WECs (≈ 1 km), and to study the impact of one or more WEC farms at the regional scale (≈ 10km ) on the total wave field. Modeling and simulation methods adapted for each of these two scales are developed. Until now, the interactions between WECs was often studied by considering that the bottom was flat (the influence of a variable bathymetry on the wave field at the farm site being considered to be negligible), allowing to easily and quickly calculate the wave field and interactions through the use of linear potential theory. A practical application of this method is the yield estimation for a WEC farm and the optimization of the WEC position within a park. In the framework of the linear theory, this thesis proposes an original coupling methodology between a seakeeping (Aquaplus) and a wave propagation code in coastal areas (Artemis), which was developed and qualified. Simulations show that, for a given WEC farm configuration, effects of the bathymetry cannot systematically ignored. For example, the presence of a 10% slope close to a WEC farm can significantly modify the wave height, and thus affect the performance of the farm by several percent compared to the case with a uniformly flat bottom. At the regional coastal scale, it is also interesting to simulate and predict the impact of WEC farms on the wave field. At this scale, for efficiency reasons, a phase-averaged simulation of waves was preferred, based on the sea state spectral code TOMAWAC. The representation of the effects of a WEC through the use of a sink-term (concept for subtracting the energy equivalent to that absorbed by the WEC to the sea state energy spectrum), though incomplete due to the fact that the scattering effects are not taken into account, has been studied and tested. A new methodology taking into account these effects in a spectral code is presented here and tested with the aim to overcome these limitations. Discussions on the validity of these approaches allow us to propose possible future developments for the modeling of WEC farm at the regional scale