Oscilla Power has shipped its Triton wave energy converter to MASK wave-making facility at Carderock, Maryland, following the conclusion of pre-testing activities.
Oscilla Power completed the pre-testing of its 1:20 scale Triton WEC at the University of Maine (UMaine) Harold Alfond W2 Ocean Engineering Lab.
The team competing for the Wave Energy Prize is developing a two-body multi-mode point absorber consisting of a catenary moored surface float and a suspended asymmetric heave plate.
“Testing of the 1:20 scale Triton WEC went smoothly and power results showed good agreement with our numerical model predictions. Design improvements implemented between the 1:50 and 1:20 rounds of the competition proved fruitful in significantly boosting WEC’s wideband power capture,” the team informed.
Triton WEC is now heading to the Naval Surface Warfare Center’s Maneuvering and Seakeeping (MASK) wave-making facility where it will be tested in September.
Triton works when ocean waves excite the surface float, and cause it to react against the heave plate, generating tension changes in the tethers that are applied to the linear drivetrain that converts the mechanical motion into electricity.
Oscilla Power is amongst 8 finalist teams competing in the Wave Energy Prize challenge, launched by the US Department of Energy, to accelerate the development of wave energy technologies.
Take a look at the video of 1:20 scale Triton testing at UMaine Harold Alfond W2 Ocean Engineering Lab.