One of the finalist teams competing for the Wave Energy Prize, Harvest Wave Energy, has performed preliminary wave tank testing of its 1:20 scale wave energy device.
Harvest Wave Energy team, previously known as Team Flapper, is developing a combined oscillating wave surge converter (OSWC) and heaving device wave energy system.
The design of the WEC the team is developing is expected to introduce a number of innovative, patent-pending technologies that will enable the economic capture of deep water wave power for the first time, according to Harvest Wave Energy.
Operating at depths up to 100 meters, the device is expected to be rated at approximately 5 MW, Harvest Wave Energy informed.
Although the information about the internal mechanisms of the device has not been revealed due to intellectual property concerns, general operation is characterized by a conversion of the kinetic energy from wave swells into electrical energy through a power conversion chain that includes a hydraulic power take off, hydraulic motor and electrical alternator.
In preparation for Wave Energy Prize final round of model testing, which will be carried out from August to October at US Navy’s MASK Basin, the team has conducted a series of 1:20 scale model tests at the University of Iowa in order to make final adjustments to its wave energy device.
As reported earlier, all finalist and alternative teams were required to submit the relevant documentation about the progress and test readiness of their 1:20 scale devices for the third technology gate review (TG3) by June 15.
The results of the review are expected to be announced no later than July 1, and the teams who pass the TG3 will get a chance to test their devices at MASK Basin in Carderock, Maryland.