A comparison of the performance and characteristics of two generations Waves4Power WaveEL wave energy converters

Paper in proceeding, 2022

The WaveEL™ wave energy converter (WEC) is a wave energy point absorber developed by Waves4Power AB. The newest generation, WaveEL 4.0, was recently proposed. With respect to the former 3.0 generation, the major updates are the length of the water tube beneath the buoy and the shape of the buoy. These geometric updates change the centre of gravity and the total weight of the WEC, affecting the hydrodynamic performance of the WEC and the mechanical life of the moorings. In this paper, the DNV Sesam software package was used to simulate and analyse the two WEC generations under regular and irregular seastate conditions. A performance analysis was conducted in terms of buoy heave motion resonances for maximizing energy harvesting, mooring line axial forces, and hydrodynamic power production. The pros and cons of WaveEL 4.0 compared to 3.0 are discussed. Compared to WaveEL 3.0, WaveEL 4.0 absorbs more hydrodynamic energy due to larger heave motions and more efficient power production. Its motions in the horizontal plane are larger, which may require a larger distance between the WEC units in a wave park to avoid losing efficiency due to hydrodynamic interaction effects.