Development of experimental offshore type of wave energy converter

Energy needs are increasing with the rapidly rising population and developing technology day by day. Sustainability of energy resources has been one of the most important issues and problems of the world, from the past to the present day. Waves are renewable energy resources which is powerful and unlimited. This energy is obtained from the surface of the waves or from the wave's pressure under the surface. Surge is wind swing movement that the wind makes on the surface of the water. Wave energy converter systems (WECS) produce energy by using the pressure resulting from this motion. Due to the fact that 70% of the earth is covered with water, the energy generated by the waves has a production potential up to 80,000 TWh (billion kWh) per year, which supplies 1/5 of the global energy demand. However, the wave's efficiency may vary from 10% to 35-40% in a wide range depending on geographical and wind conditions. The objective of this study is to create the prototype design, production and power conversion system of the wave energy converter which can generate electricity from the wave energy with high potential. The power takeoff system used in the study uses the movements in the wave surface to provide the circular movement of the shaft surrounded by magnets around its axis. As a result of this movement, a magnetic field is formed and electrical power is produced by sudden changes of current through coils wrapped around the container in which the shaft is located. This study is carried out in 13 different waveforms. The effects of these waveforms on efficiency, angular velocity and power are investigated. It is observed that efficient results are obtained from WECS for partıcular periods and amplitudes. In this study, maximum power as 7 nW in the case of the wave height is 5 cm and period is 2.5 s; maximum efficiency as 9% in the case of wave height is 2 cm and period is 3 s are obtained from the prototype developed. Therefore, the design should be done depending on the annual average wave period and wave height of the region. In the future, development of a larger volume system may significantly increase the efficiency by increasing the number of coil turns and the amount of magnet.