Power performance prediction for a vented oscillating water column wave energy converter with a unidirectional air turbine power take-off

This paper presents experimental performance results for a new concept of Oscillating Water Column (OWC) Wave Energy Converter (WEC) hereby referred as UniWave. The operating principle for this device utilises air valves that open during times of positive pressure, thereby venting the air chamber, and shut when the air chamber pressure is negative, thus drawing air through a unidirectional air turbine Power TakeOff (PTO). Results are presented for both regular and irregular seas for the planned full scale equivalent OWC prototype of Wave Swell Energy (WSE), an Australian wave energy developer planning an installation in ten metres of water off the west coast of King Island, Tasmania. Prototype top lip and front wall geometry are novel modifications which appear to positively affect the operational characteristics of the device. Results indicate this unidirectional prototype will exhibit very good energy harvesting capability over a wide range of wave frequencies.