Floating Dual-Body Point Absorber |
 
|
Floating Dual-Body Point Absorber |
|
This device concept was inspired by a device known as PowerBuoy (Ocean Power Technologies, 2017), which is a two-body floating point absorber design. The device consists of a surface float which moves in response to wave motion, relative to a vertical column spar buoy which is attached to a large reaction plate submerged at a considerable depth below the mean water line. Generation of electrical power occurs predominately by harnessing oscillations of the surface float in the heave direction (the device is designed to accommodate relative heave motions of up to 4 metres along the shaft). Stability of the device is ensured via a spread mooring configuration, and it is designed to operate in water depths of between 40 and 100 metres.
Floating Dual-Body Point Absorber (Ocean Power Technologies, 2017)
This particular device was chosen as an illustrative concept, but Flexcom Wave is naturally capable of simulating other similar wave energy converters. Another similar device is Wavebob, which uses a submerged volume rather than a damping plate for stability.
If you have a specific device concept which is not currently accommodated by Flexcom Wave, you can always Migrate to Flexcom itself.
Input: |
Description |
Power Rating |
The maximum power rating of this device. |
Power-Take Off: |
The power take-off component. You can select the relevant Power Take-Off from the list of components which you have already created in the Device Parts folder. |
(a)The electrical power matrix is capped at the maximum power rating of the device, which helps to limit the size and cost of the electrical generator.
(b)The Power Take-Off component is modelled using a combination of spring, damper and rigid elements. In the case of a Floating Dual-Body Point Absorber, the power take-off mechanism is inserted between the respective centres of gravity of upper and lower floaters. You should ensure that the physical separation of these points in space (as governed by the inputs above) is consistent with the Geometry of the power take-off mechanism. Specifically, the separation must not be less than the Contracted Length and not greater than the Extended Length (which is equal to the sum of the Contracted Length and the Maximum Stroke-Out).
Input: |
Description |
Floater: |
You can select the relevant Floater from the list of components which you have already created in the Device Parts folder. |
Floater CoG below SWL: |
The vertical distance between the Centre of Gravity of the floater and the still water line. A negative value indicates submergence. |
Input: |
Description |
Mooring Line: |
The mooring line component. You can select the relevant Mooring Line from the list of components which you have already created in the Device Parts folder. |
Anchor X: |
The global X coordinate of the mooring anchor point. |
Anchor Y: |
The global Y coordinate of the mooring anchor point. |
Anchor Z: |
The global Z coordinate of the mooring anchor point. |
Fairlead Connection: |
The connection point on the Lower Floater. You can select the relevant Connection Point from the list of connections which you have already defined in the Floater component. |
(a)In Flexcom, the global X axis is vertical, with the global Y and Z axes lying in a horizontal plane such that the system is right-handed. Refer to Axes and Displacements for further information.