• Energy Research

Aim of this paper is to analyse the power and hydraulic performance of a floating Wave Energy Converter with the purpose at optimising its design for installation in arrays. The paper presents new experiments carried out in 1:30 scale on a single device of the Wave Activated Body type in the deep-water wave tank at Aalborg University. Power production and wave transmission were examined by changing the mooring system, the wave attack and the device orientation with respect to the incoming waves.. To assure the best performance the device size may be “tuned” based on the local peak wave length and the mooring system should be selected to allow the device for large movements.

The paper presents the results of an experimental study identifying the response of a 1.5 MW Wave Dragon to extreme conditions typical of the DanWEC test center. The best strategies allowing for a reduction in the extreme mooring tension have also been investigated, showing that this is possible by increasing the surge natural period of the system. The most efficient strategy in doing this is to provide the mooring system with a large horizontal compliance (typically in the order of 100 s), which shall be therefore assumed as design configuration. If this is not possible, it can also be partly achieved by lowering the floating level to a minimum (survivability mode) and by adopting a negative trim position. The adoption of the design configuration would determine in a 100-year storm extreme mooring tensions in the order of 0.9 MN, 65% lower than the worst case experienced in the worst case configuration. At the same time it would lead to a reduction in the extreme motion response, resulting in heave and pitch oscillation heights of 7 m and 19° and surge excursion of 12 m. Future work will numerically identify mooring configurations that could provide the desired compliance.

Target reliability levels, which are chosen dependent on the consequences in case of structural collapse, are used in this paper to calibrate partial safety factors for structural details of wave energy converters (WECs). The consequences in case of structural failure are similar for WECs and offshore wind turbines (no fatalities, low environmental pollution). Therefore, it can be assumed that the target reliability levels for WEC applications can be overtaken from offshore wind turbine studies. The partial safety factors cannot be directly overtaken from offshore wind turbines because the load characteristics are different. WECs mainly focus on wave loads where for offshore wind turbine the wind loads are most dominating. Fatigue failure is an important failure mode for offshore structures. The scope of this paper is to present appropriate Fatigue Design Factors (FDF), which are also called Design Fatigue Factors (DFF), for steel substructures of WECs. A reliability-based approach is used and a probabilistic model including design and limit state equation is established. For modelling fatigue, the SN-curve approach as well as fracture mechanics are used. Furthermore, the influence of inspections is considered in order to extend and maintain a certain target safety level. This paper uses the Wavestar prototype located at Hanstholm (DK) as case study in order to calibrate FDFs for welded and bolted details in steel structures of an offshore bottom-fixed WEC with hydraulic floaters.

Mooring of floating wave energy converters is an important topic in renewable research since it highly influences the overall cost of the wave energy converter and thereby the cost of energy. In addition, several wave energy converter failures have been observed due to insufficient mooring systems. When designing these systems, it is necessary to ensure the applicability of the design tool and to establish an understanding of the error between model and prototype. The present paper presents the outcome of an experimental test campaign and construction of a numerical model using the open-source boundary element method code NEMOH and the commercial time-domain mooring analysis tool OrcaFlex. The work used the wind/wave energy converter Floating Power Plant as a case study, which is defined as a large floating structure with a passive mooring system. The investigated mooring consists of a three-legged turret system with synthetic lines, and it was tested for both operational and extreme events. In order to understand the difference between the model and experimental results, no tuning of the model was done, besides adding drag elements with values found from a simplified methodology. This resembles initial design cases where no experimental data are available. Generally good agreement was found for the tensions in the lines when the drag element was applied, with some overestimation of the motions. The main cause of difference was found to be underestimation of linear damping. A model was tested with additional linear damping, and it illustrated that a final analysis needs to use experimental data to achieve the best results. However, the analyses showed that the investigated model can be used without tuning in initial investigations of mooring systems, and it is expected that this approach can be applied to other similar systems.

Gradually increasing interest in utilisation of wave energy through development of wave energy converters is directing more attention to areas of lower energy potential, such as the Baltic Sea, compared to the oceans. In this paper, the theoretical wave power potential in the Lithuanian coast is evaluated using available multi-year visual observation data. A brief review of European wave energy resources, focusing more on semi-enclosed seas, is provided, as well as a comparison between wave energy potential and conventional hydropower potential in European countries. A conventional hydrological method, designed for calculating a distribution of annual hydrologic variables, was adopted to evaluate the design wave heights. Wave power flux values for monthly, seasonal and annual wave conditions were evaluated for high, median and low intensity years. In addition multi-year annual and seasonal wave power fluxes were calculated using scatter diagrams. The wave power flux for annual wave heights along the Lithuanian coast varies from 1.6 kW/m in a high intensity year to 0.4 kW/m in a low intensity year, which makes the near-shore wave power potential along the Lithuanian coast comparable with that of other European semi-enclosed seas.

Overtopping wave energy converters (OWECs) are designed to extract energy from ocean waves based on wave overtopping into a reservoir, which is emptied into the ocean through a set of low-head turbines, and typically feature a low crest freeboard and a smooth impermeable steep slope. In the process of optimizing the performance of OWECs, the question arises whether adapting the slope geometry to the variable wave characteristics at the deployment site (i.e., geometry control) can increase the overall hydraulic efficiency and overall hydraulic power compared to a fixed slope geometry. The effect of five different geometry control scenarios on the overall hydraulic efficiency and overall hydraulic power of OWECs has been simulated for three possible deployment sites using empirical prediction formulae. The results show that the effect of an adaptive slope angle is relatively small. On the other hand, adapting the crest freeboard of the OWECs to the wave characteristics increases the overall hydraulic efficiency and power. Based on the simulations, gains in overall hydraulic power of at least 30% are achievable when applying an adaptive crest freeboard compared to a fixed crest freeboard.

The paper addresses an important challenge ahead the integration of the electricity generated by wave energy conversion technologies into the electric grid. Particularly, it looks into the role of wave energy within the day-ahead electricity market. For that the predictability of the theoretical power outputs of three wave energy technologies in the Danish North Sea are examined. The simultaneous and co-located forecast and buoy-measured wave parameters at Hanstholm, Denmark, during a non-consecutive autumn and winter 3-month period form the basis of the investigation.The objective of the study is to provide an indication on the accuracy of the forecast of i) wave parameters, ii) the normalised theoretical power productions from each of the selected technologies (Pelamis, Wave Dragon and Wavestar), and iii) the normalised theoretical power production of a combination of the three devices, during a very energetic time period.Results show that for the 12 to 36 hours time horizon forecast, the accuracy in the predictions (in terms of scatter index) of the significant wave height, zero crossing period and wave power are 22%, 11% and 68%, respectively; and the accuracy in the predictions of the normalised theoretical power outputs of Pelamis, Wave Dragon and Wavestar are 44%, 52% and 62%, respectively. The best compromise between forecast accuracy and mean power production results when considering the combined production of the three devices.