Optimization of Power Performance of a Wave Energy Converter

Presenter Information

L. F. de Valderrama
C. Harrison
P. Tubuntoeng
A. Kapperman
B. Rodriguez
A. Daniels
J. Whipple
B. Labban
C. AkanFollow
N. Ozdemir

Faculty Sponsor

Dr. Cigdem Akan, Dr. Nilufer Ozdemir

Faculty Sponsor College

College of Computing, Engineering & Construction

Faculty Sponsor Department

Interdisciplinary

Location

SOARS Virtual Conference

Presentation Website

https://unfsoars.domains.unf.edu/2021/posters/optimization-of-power-performance-of-a-wave-energy-converter/

Keywords

SOARS (Conference) (2021 : University of North Florida) – Archives; SOARS (Conference) (2021 : University of North Florida) – Posters; University of North Florida -- Students -- Research – Posters; University of North Florida. Office of Undergraduate Research; University of North Florida. Graduate School; College students – Research -- Florida – Jacksonville – Posters; University of North Florida – Undergraduates -- Research – Posters; University of North Florida. School of Engineering -- Research – Posters; Civil Engineering -- Research -- Posters

Abstract

With climate change on the rise, unprecedented dependence on electricity, and an increased incidence of extreme weather, the UNF team participating in the U.S. Department of Energy 2021 Marine Energy Collegiate Competition: Powering the Blue Economy wants to give an alternative solution to provide renewable energy in areas that lose electricity as a result of a natural disaster, or that due to their isolated location cannot use traditional renewable energy sources. This led to the creation of the Osprey C.R.E.W (Cheap Reliable Energy from Waves). The Osprey C.R.E.W. is a wave energy converter that uses the vertical motion of the ocean waves to generate electricity. The principle of energy conversion is Faraday’s Law of Electromagnetic Induction, which states that a magnetic field moving past a conductor will generate electricity. The UNF team has developed a numerical simulation to test how different parameters influence the output and has built three small-scale prototypes that have been tested in a wave tank. A medium-sized prototype and a wave pool are being constructed, with the expectation that the size will also increase the output.

Comments

Audio Presentation Transcript:

With the rise of climate change, an unprecedented dependence on electricity, and an increased incidence of extreme weather, we wanted to give an alternative solution to provide renewable energy in areas that lose electricity as a result of a natural disaster, or that due to their isolated location cannot use traditional renewable energy sources. This led to the creation of the Osprey C.R.E.W.
The Osprey C.R.E.W, which stands for Cheap Reliable Energy from Waves, is a wave energy converter that uses the vertical motion of the ocean waves to generate electricity. Our goal is to design a wave energy converter that is easy to deploy, that is easy to work with, that generates sufficient power for at least one home and that is self-sufficient without the support of gas or other fossil fuel; a device that needs minimal maintenance, and that is not significantly more expensive than a gas generator.
The Osprey CREW uses Faraday’s Law of Induction, which states that any magnetic field moving past a conductor, will generate an electric current. Our wave energy converter has magnets connected to a floater. The floater moves up and down with the waves, moving the magnet past the wires and generating electricity.
Parameters that influence the final output are the speed of the magnet, the amount of wire, the strength of the magnet, and the distance between the magnet and wires. To evaluate these parameters, we developed a numerical simulation.
Figure 2 in the poster shows how the magnetic field generated by the magnets looks like, Figure 3 shows how the magnetic flux through a loop of wire varies based on the radius of the loop and the vertical distance between the loop of wire and the center of the magnets, and Figure 4 shows how the power varies based on the length and the outside diameter of the coil. These figures were created using our numerical simulation.
To test our idea, we have also built 3 small-scale prototypes that we call Jimmy, Timmy, and Kimmy. You can see them in Figure 5. All three of them have been tested in a wave tank that was also built by us. Now we are building a wave pool that will allow us to test a medium-scale prototype, and that we expect will increase the output. Thank you for your attention.

Rights Statement

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