Date of Award

8-2012

Degree Name

Master of Science in Engineering

Department

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

First Advisor

Dr. Parviz Merati

Second Advisor

Dr. Claudia M. Fajardo

Third Advisor

Dr. Tianshu Liu

Keywords

Alternative energy, ocean waves, ocean wave energy, standing waves, wave energy converter

Access Setting

Masters Thesis-Open Access

Abstract

Alternative energy technologies are on the forefront of research due to the rising costs of oil and natural gas. One relatively under development source of energy is ocean waves. In order to make the use of ocean waves economically viable, the amount of energy absorbed by wave energy converters (WEC) must be optimized. The research within presents a new conceptual design, "Aqua Fly", for a WEC with emphasis on maximizing the amount of energy absorbed. The energy absorption component of the "Aqua Fly" was isolated and a small scale 2-D study of energy absorption. First, the amount of energy in the wave was increased by adding a reflection to the system and creating a standing wave in the tank. It was found that by placing the trailing edge of the wing in an anti-node the maximum amount of energy can be absorbed. The geometry of the wing was then varied to find the optimum configuration of reflection plate location and wing geometry for energy absorption. It was found that using a wing with a 90° downward bend into the water and a reflection plate placed at 0 wavelengths from the trailing edge of the wing allowed for the optimum energy absorption.

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