The WETFEET wave energy project team has conducted two sets of tests at the FloWave Ocean Energy Research Facility in Edinburgh.
Both tests were carried out in April on a 1:40 scale oscillating water column (OWC) spar buoy, with the first one relating to the effects of the negative spring in the OWC spar buoy with different inner chambers being tested to examine the influence in the buoy heave motion.
The second test is related to the submergence, where a given set of submergence configurations considered appropriate after numerical studies, were chosen and tested experimentally in wave tank conditions, the WETFEET team informed.
It provided complementary insight on the motion and loads experienced by the OWC spar buoy under extreme wave conditions.
The testing was part of WETFEET work package 3 whose purpose is to confirm the technical feasibility and potential impacts on survivability, performance and operation & maintenance of the selected breakthroughs in OWC and Symphony wave energy converters.
The target is to obtain preliminary designs for each feature through numerical and experimental testing and additional engineering analysis.
To remind, WETFEET project received a financial boost from the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 program in the amount of €3.45 million in June last year.
The project, running until May 31, 2018, will examine and develop new materials and components to be incorporated in wave energy devices.
Besides developing new materials and components, WETFEET will also consider cross-cutting aspects such as logistics and supply chain, as well as environmental issues and societal concerns.