Analysis of Optimal Ocean Wave Energy Conversion

Abstract

The performance of two single degree‐of‐freedom systems—the heaving vertical circular cylinder and the vertical oscillating water column—are theoretically studied. The systems are optimized by using impedance‐matching at the design frequency. This frequency is that of the peak of the wave energy spectrum in a wind‐generated sea. The results show that the optimized system acts as a strong antenna, attracting significantly more wave power than is incident in its body dimension. As the diameter of the system is increased the draft of the device is decreased. Thus, there is a size limit for each design sea. Furthermore, there is also a lower limit of the diameter of the device operating in restricted waters. Because of the strong antenna effect, relatively small systems can be effectively used, making the optimized wave energy conversion system cost effective.