Converting energy from ocean waves is an exciting concept aimed at reducing our dependency on fossil fuels. Ocean energy devices must convert the large forces and relatively small movements from ocean waves into electrical power with a minimum carbon and energy intensity in order to be economically viable. The research herein focuses on the Oyster, a flap-type pitching wave energy converter developed by Aquamarine Power. A device that has the minimal carbon or energy intensity is not necessarily the most mechanically efficient. A commercially viable wave energy converter should have a competitive cost of energy and be as carbon negative as possible. In order to expedite the route to commercialisation, successive designs should iterate towards a minimum lifetime cost of energy. The sheer complexity of wave energy converter systems makes for a vast optimisation problem to determine the system parameters that exhibit the minimum carbon and energy intensities. This thesis presents a study of the oscillating flap-type wave energy converter to determine the trends between design parameters, total power output and carbon and energy throughput. The minimum carbon and energy intensities have been shown to be strongly dependent on minimising maintenance requirements. In order to determine the design criterion a range of flap widths and system pressures are investigated and their effect on component service lives assessed. The results are then converted to lifetime carbon and energy intensities for a direct comparison. To achieve this, fundamental research on the maintenance requirements of critical components such as the hinge bearings and hydraulic power system is required. A hydrodynamic model describes the dynamic response and links the system energy inputs to its modelled energy output. This work is intended to help guide developers of flap-type wave energy converters towards commercialisation. It enhances the understanding of the routes to failure and service life predictions, providing avenues to balance service lives to optimise maintenance and maximise uptime. This will assist in the development of more energy efficient wave energy converters over their lifetime. This information will better enable the marine energy sector to offset our fossil fuel dependence, ultimately reducing our impact on the environment and leading to a ‘greener’ future.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:699997 |
| Date | January 2014 |
| Creators | Steynor, Jeffrey Robert |
| Contributors | Chick, John ; Harrison, Gareth |
| Publisher | University of Edinburgh |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://hdl.handle.net/1842/17959 |
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