Analytical Analysis of The Efficiency of Wave Energy Converter

Abstract

The problem of the interaction of waves with an oscillating wave energy converter was investigated and an analytical solution was derived to determine the efficiency of a device. The results show that the wave power captured by the device increases with increasing wavelengths until a maximum and then decreases. The efficiency increases with decreasing stiffness of the device in shallow and intermediate waters. In deep water, the efficiency increases with increasing stiffness until a local maximum and then decreases. Moreover, the efficiency increases with increasing the mass of the device in shallow and intermediate waters. In deep water, the efficiency of a converter decreases with increasing the mass of the device. The analytical formula shows that the top efficiency level of power capturing cannot exceed 50 %. The power take-off optimization analysis identifies the spectrum of wave conditions for which the efficiency of the wave energy converter is close to the maximum.