Operation & Maintenance of Power Plants
Fig. 1. Testing was undertaken over a one month period in a specialist wave tank – known in the industry as a ‘wave basin’ – at the Ecole Centrale de Nantes (ECN) in France.
Testing energy converter
Project aims to boost the cost-effectiveness of large-scale wave energy converter arrays in UK waters.
T
ank testing of scale models to develop the next generation of Pelamis Wave Power’s wave energy converter (WEC) machines have now been successfully completed. Te tank testing process forms a key part
of a £1.4m project commissioned and funded by the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) which is looking to boost the cost-effectiveness of large-scale WEC arrays in UK waters. Te two 29th scale Pelamis P2e models featured a number of potential improvements to the current Pelamis P2 machine. Te improvements included larger and elliptically shaped tubes, different numbers of joints and tube lengths together with enhanced control systems. Te tank testing also allowed for the most extreme storm conditions to be applied over extended periods of time. Te testing was undertaken over a one month
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period in a specialist wave tank – known in the industry as a ‘wave basin’ - at the Ecole Centrale de Nantes (ECN) in France. Te models were exposed to the full-scale equivalent of 50 hours of extreme storms, in which the largest waves were up to 23m high. Tese results drive the engineering design programme and provide robust evidence for verification purposes.
Increased power capture Pelamis is actively controlled by computerised control systems which can dramatically increase power capture. In the tank tests new control algorithms showed an increase of 100 per cent more power capture in small and medium seas than those previously implemented. Tis demonstrates huge potential reduction in the cost of energy from Pelamis technology achievable through
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