Wave Energy Hyperbaric Converter: Small Scale Models, Prototype and Control Strategies

A device for electricity generation from ocean waves has been developed for installation on the Brazilian northeast coast. It is based on pumping modules and a two-stage accumulator linked to a hyperbaric chamber in order to provide a prescribed high pressure water flow, which operates a turbine coupled with an electrical generator. In the period between 2001 and 2007, wave tank testing of small-scale models have been carried out. A prototype with two pumping modules is presently installed in the Port of Pecem. This paper describes an overview of the device development since the first tests to the installation of the prototype. Wave climate analysis, design analysis and optimization studies have been developed and are briefly revised in this study. Furthermore, control strategies are proposed to optimize the electrical output considering the proper combination of both pressure and flow rate as a function of the predominant wave climate, when the applied pressure is constant and the generator is a synchronous machine.Copyright © 2012 by ASME