Wave Energy Converter

Abstract

A wave energy convertor for extracting energy from ocean waves. The wave energy convertor may include a buoy arranged to oscillate relative to a reference point about an equilibrium position and a negative spring device connected between the buoy and the reference point, wherein the negative spring device is for applying a positive force in the direction of displacement when the buoy moves away from the equilibrium position.

Claims

1.-30. (canceled)

31. A method of extracting energy from ocean waves comprising: allowing a buoy to oscillate, due to wave motion, about an equilibrium position relative to a reference point; and using a negative spring device in the form of at least one mechanical spring, providing a positive force between the buoy and the reference point when the buoy moves away from the equilibrium position, the positive force being in a direction of displacement between the buoy and the equilibrium position.

32. A method as claimed in claim 31, comprising, when the displacement of the buoy away from the equilibrium position is greater than a threshold displacement, providing a positive force between the buoy and the reference point in the direction opposite to a direction of displacement between the buoy and its equilibrium position.

33. A method as claimed in claim 31, wherein the negative spring device is used to counteract the hydrostatic stiffness of the buoy such that the total stiffness of the buoy at the equilibrium position is reduced compared to the buoy without the negative spring.

34. A method as claimed in claim 33, wherein the total stiffness of the buoy at the equilibrium position is reduced by at least a factor of five compared to the buoy without the negative spring.

35. A method as claimed in claim 33, wherein the negative spring device is used to counteract the hydrostatic stiffness of the buoy in order to thereby increase the bandwidth of resonant oscillation of the buoy.

36. A wave energy convertor for extracting energy from ocean waves in accordance with the method of claim 31, the wave energy converter comprising: a buoy arranged to oscillate relative to a reference point about an equilibrium position; and a negative spring device connected between the buoy and the reference point, wherein the negative spring device comprises at least one mechanical spring for applying a positive force in the direction of displacement when the buoy moves away from the equilibrium position.

37. A wave energy convertor as claimed in claim 36, wherein the negative spring device is configured to provide a zero force in a direction of oscillatory motion of the buoy when the buoy is at its equilibrium position.

38. A wave energy convertor as claimed in claim 36, wherein the negative spring device is configured to provide a force that is initially in the same direction as the direction of displacement and increases with the magnitude of displacement of the buoy when the buoy moves away from the equilibrium position, and wherein the negative spring device is further configured such that when the displacement of the buoy away from the equilibrium position is greater than a threshold displacement, then the negative spring device provides a positive force between the buoy and the reference point in the direction opposite to the direction of displacement between the buoy and its equilibrium position.

39. A wave energy convertor as claimed in claim 36, wherein the negative spring device acts to counteract the hydrostatic stiffness of the buoy, when the buoy is in use, such that the total stiffness of the buoy at the equilibrium position is reduced compared to the buoy without the negative spring.

40. A wave energy convertor as claimed in claim 39, wherein the total stiffness of the buoy at the equilibrium position is reduced by at least a factor of five compared to the buoy without the negative spring.

41. A wave energy convertor as claimed in claim 31, wherein the negative spring device acts to counteract the hydrostatic stiffness of the buoy, in use, in order to thereby increase the bandwidth of resonant oscillation of the buoy.

42. A wave energy convertor as claimed in claim 36, wherein the mechanical spring is a coil spring, a torsion spring, a gas spring, a pneumatic spring or a hydraulic spring.

43. A wave energy convertor as claimed in claim 36, comprising multiple negative spring devices.

44. A wave energy convertor as claimed in claim 36, wherein each/the negative spring device comprises a set of springs.

45. A wave energy convertor as claimed in claim 44, wherein the set of springs comprises a V-shaped pair of angled springs that, at the equilibrium position, are symmetrically arranged about a perpendicular to the direction of motion and lie in the same plane as the direction of motion and the perpendicular thereto.

46. A wave energy convertor as claimed in claim 31, wherein the reference point is provided on a support member, the buoy being configured to oscillate relative to the support member; and wherein the buoy is configured to undergo rotational oscillation with an angular displacement about a pivot point external to the buoy.

47. A wave energy convertor as claimed in claim 46, wherein the negative spring device is coupled between the centre of the buoy and the reference point.

48. A wave energy convertor as claimed in claim 47, wherein the negative spring device is connected between the buoy and the reference point by a coupling for hinged rotation of the negative spring device relative to the buoy and the reference point during the oscillating movement of the buoy.

49. A wave energy convertor as claimed in claim 48, wherein the reference point is at, or close to, any position along a line connecting the equilibrium position and the pivot point.

50. A method of extracting energy from ocean waves comprising use of a wave energy converter as claimed in claim 36.

Description

[0045] Certain preferred embodiments will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0046] FIGS. 1, 4 and 7 show different embodiments of a wave energy converter according to the present invention;

[0047] FIGS. 2, 3, 5, 6, 8 and 9 are graphs showing various forces/torques as a function of displacement of the wave energy converters of FIGS. 1, 4 and 7.

[0048] A wave energy converter is a dynamic system that absorbs energy from ocean waves by radiating a wave that creates destructive interference with the incident waves. The system may be characterised by its dynamic response, which has a certain bandwidth. This means that it has a range of frequencies over which it responds well to the excitation from incident waves. Outside this range the response is weaker, in the sense that it is not able to significantly absorb energy from the incident wave. Typically, the response bandwidth is narrower than the bandwidth of naturally occurring ocean waves. This is especially true for small systems, so-called point absorbers, such as buoys.

[0049] Together with ensuring reliability and durability, achieving a sufficient bandwidth for the power absorption is a paramount challenge for the development of wave energy converters.

[0050] Bandwidth may also be thought of in terms of the velocity response of a system to an excitation force. The relation between excitation force and response velocity is crucial for the absorption of wave energy. At zero phase difference between response and excitation, the excitation power is a maximum. For maximum absorption the velocity amplitude must be at an optimum ratio with the incident wave amplitude. The preferred embodiments seek to make the phase difference zero or close to zero.

[0051] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of the wave energy convertor 1 of the present invention. The wave energy convertor 1 includes a buoy 2 that may oscillate relative to a reference point 3 about an equilibrium position 4. The wave energy convertor further includes a negative spring device 10 connected between the buoy 2 and the reference point 3. The negative spring device 10 applies a positive force in the direction of displacement (z) when the buoy moves away from the equilibrium position 4. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the direction of displacement (z) is the vertical direction.

[0052] In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the buoy 2 is spherical and comprises a sealed air-filled shell 6 which is generally in the shape of a spherical shell. The shell 6 provides the buoy 2 with buoyancy. The interior surface 7 of the shell 6 defines a hollow interior cavity 8. The cavity 8 may also provide the buoy 2 with buoyancy. The buoy 2 may have a radius of around 4 m, though other radii are possible.

[0053] A support member 5 (e.g. a rod, a pole, a cable) passes through opposing holes 9 in the shell 6 and through the centre of the buoy 2, and is oriented generally in the direction of the displacement (z) of the buoy 2. The reference point 3 is fixed to the support member 5 and is positioned at the centre of the buoy 2.

[0054] The negative spring device 10 comprises a mechanical helical spring 11 and is fixed between the reference point 3 and the interior surface 7 of the shell 6 such that, when the buoy 2 is in its equilibrium position 4, the negative spring device 10 is perpendicular to the support member 5 and displacement direction (z). The negative spring device 10 is in a state of maximum compression when the buoy 2 is at its equilibrium position. Connections 12 and 13 allow for hinged rotation of the negative spring device 10 relative to the interior surface 7 and the reference point 3.

[0055] Although not shown in FIG. 1, the wave energy converter 1 comprises multiple negative spring devices 10, the spring devices 10 extending between the reference point 3 and the interior surface 7 as described above, and having substantially identical mechanical properties. The multiple negative spring devices 10 are symmetrically spaced apart around the axis of the support member 5. Thus, the negative spring devices 10 are arrayed in a star formation about the axis of the support member 5, for example a two, three or five pointed star. For example, three negative spring devices 10 separated by 120 may be present, all providing substantially equal forces between the buoy 2 and the support member 5.

[0056] It is clear that the buoy 2 of the FIG. 1 embodiment may undergo translational/linear motion oscillation due to incident wave energy. When the buoy 2 is displaced from its equilibrium position 4, the force from the negative spring device 10 has a component in the direction of the linear displacement (z). Thus, when the buoy 2 moves away from its equilibrium position, the negative spring device 10 releases its stored energy.

[0057] The magnitude of the force provided by the negative spring device 10 in the direction of displacement (z) of the buoy 2 changes as the buoy 2 moves away from its equilibrium position 4. This change in force is in part due to the geometry of the system, since the component in the z-direction of the total force applied by the negative spring device 10 increases relative to the component perpendicular to the z-direction as the displacement of the buoy 2 increases away from the equilibrium position 4. Further, the force changes since the total force produced by the negative spring device 10 changes as the length of the negative spring device 10 is changed. Thus, this change in force begins to act when the buoy is displaced from its equilibrium position. The force produced by the negative spring device acts to push the buoy along the direction of displacement (z) of oscillation. In one example arrangement the negative spring device 10 may provide a force that initially increases with displacement when the buoy 2 moves away from the equilibrium position 4.

[0058] The negative spring device 10 provides a negative stiffness that acts against the hydrostatic stiffness of the buoy 2, and hence reduces the hydrostatic stiffness of the system. However, for displacements (z) not within a threshold displacement around the equilibrium point, the stiffness of the system is allowed to increase. This can be seen in the example shown in FIG. 2 in which the dashed line is the hydrostatic stiffness force (F(z)) of the buoy 2 and the solid line is the force due to the negative spring device 10 (F(z)), as a function of displacement (z) from equilibrium 4.

[0059] The resultant stiffness force of the system is shown by the solid line in FIG. 3 (again the dashed line is the hydrostatic stiffness force of the buoy 2). As can be seen, there is a reduction in stiffness around the equilibrium point. It should be noted that the precise values shown on the axes of FIGS. 2 and 3and FIGS. 5, 6, 8 and 9are just by way of illustrative example. Greater or smaller displacements and forces may be encountered. These values depend on numerous factors including the energy of incident waves and the size of buoy.

[0060] As the buoy 2 is displaced from its equilibrium position 4 the total force from the negative spring device decreases. At a threshold displacement (marked as z.sub.t in FIG. 2), the total force (and hence the component of the force in the direction of displacement of the buoy) is zero. As can be seen from FIG. 2, at displacements larger than the threshold displacement (z.sub.t), the negative spring device 10 provides a force in a direction opposite to the direction of displacement (z) of the buoy 2 from its equilibrium position 4. Thus, the negative spring device 10 acts as a positive spring device after a certain displacement (z.sub.t), and increases the total stiffness of the system.

[0061] With reference to FIG. 2, the total force provided by the negative spring device 10 initially increases as displacement (z) increases then it decreases before becoming a positive spring (and hence applying a force that is opposed to the direction of displacement) at the threshold displacement (z.sub.t). The component of the force from the spring device in the direction opposite to the direction of displacement of the buoy may further be increased due to the geometry of the system (for similar reasons as those discussed above) and since, beyond the threshold displacement (z.sub.t), the total force produced by the spring device may increase as it is extended. The positive spring effect at large displacements can be used as part of an end stop system to limit the maximum displacement of the buoy.

[0062] Referring to FIG. 4, this shows a wave energy converter largely similar to that shown in FIG. 1. However, in this embodiment, each negative spring device 10 may comprise a set of springs 14 comprising a V-shaped pair of angled springs that are symmetrically arranged about a plane perpendicular to the direction of translational motion (z). The set of springs 14 may extend from a connection 13 to the fixed point 3 to respective points 12 on the interior surface 7 of the buoy 2. The respective points 12 are separated in a direction substantially aligned with the direction of the support member 5. In this example embodiment, gas springs are shown.

[0063] As can be seen from FIG. 5, the use of the set of springs 14 allows for tailoring of the force characteristics of the negative spring device 10. In FIG. 5, the force on the buoy in the z-direction from each spring in the set is shown by F1 and F2 (the solid lines). The resultant force is shown by Ftot (the dashed line). The angle between the springs in each set and the total force (sum F) produced by each spring are chosen such that the resultant force from the negative spring device (Fz pneumatic) best reduces the hydrostatic stiffness of the buoy (Fz sphere) around equilibrium. This is shown in FIG. 6. The angle provides another controllable factor which aids the engineer in producing the most effective stiffness reduction.

[0064] FIG. 7 shows an example embodiment of the present invention in which the buoy 2 undergoes rotational oscillation. The buoy 2 may be substantially similar to that described in relation to the previous embodiments. However, the buoy 2 of the FIG. 8 embodiment comprises only one hole 9 to allow a connecting member 15 to connect the centre of the buoy 2 to the an pivot point (A), and a slot (not shown) through which the negative spring device 10 may extend. The buoy 2 oscillates with an angular displacement about the pivot point (A), the pivot point (A) being external to the buoy 2. The negative spring device 10 may be coupled between the centre of the buoy and the reference point 3. When the buoy 2 is displaced from its equilibrium position, the force from the negative spring device has a component in the tangential direction of the oscillating buoy.

[0065] The reference point 3 is located along the line which extends from the pivot point (A) at the equilibrium angle of buoy. Further, it is located between the centre of the buoy 2 when at its equilibrium position 4 and the pivot point (A).

[0066] The negative spring assembly 10 of the wave energy converter 1 of FIG. 7 acts similarly to the negative spring assemblies 10 of FIGS. 1 and 4 to reduce the hydrostatic stiffness of the system, and hence to increase the bandwidth of the wave energy converter. The reduction in hydrostatic stiffness can be seen in FIGS. 8 and 9, which show similar effects to FIGS. 2 and 3. Thus, in FIG. 8 the dashed line is the hydrostatic stiffness torque of the buoy 2 (()) and the solid line is the torque due to the negative spring device 10 (()), as a function of angular displacement () from equilibrium 4. The resultant stiffness torque (()) of the system is shown by the solid line in FIG. 9 (again the dashed line is the hydrostatic stiffness torque of the buoy 2). As can be seen, there is a reduction in stiffness around the equilibrium point.

[0067] As noted above, the effect of the negative spring is to greatly enhance the energy that can be delivered by the system. For a linear oscillation type buoy of the type shown in FIG. 4 an experimental comparison has been made with a standard buoy design and this found that the increase in energy delivery was at least 100%. The experiment used a conventional resistive loading set up to measure the energy delivery. A significant advantage provided by the wave energy converters described herein is hence an average power output that is at least doubled compared to known designs.