Abstract
The present study investigated the performance of a Wave Energy Converter (WEC) system using the relative heave motion of a dual-buoy. In order to increase the conversion efficiency of a dual-buoy WEC, a multiple-resonance concept was used, which is generated at the dual-buoy’s heave natural frequency and piston-mode natural frequency. The matched eigenfunction expansion method (MEEM) was applied to obtain the analytical solution under the assumption of the linear potential theory. To verify the validity of the analytical solution, systematic model tests were carried out in a 2D wave tank. If the dual-buoy WEC is designed to be tuned at the heave natural frequency and piston-mode natural frequency, it is possible to maintain a reasonably high relative heave motion response within a wide range of wave frequencies. This research will provide the key to the improvement in energy extraction efficiency.
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