Design of a small-scale wave energy converter

Abstract: In this study, a small-scale point absorber wave energy converter has been designed contemplating a full-scaled point absorber in the Mediterranean Sea state. The scaling factor for the small-scaled version has been determined by the damping coefficient calculation of the power take-off in 1:10, 1:15, and 1:20 scaling factors. Here a rotational power take-off has been designed instead of the linear one. The rotational power take-off will follow a similar principle as the Eddy current brake. The effect of change in the radius of the translator and magnetic flux in the damping coefficient had been calculated as well. The calculation for the damping coefficient has been conducted in COMSOL Multiphysics. The design for the point absorber was assembled in SolidWorks. In this article, specific attention is given to a variety of aspects affecting the damping coefficient and the way it can aid to determining the scaling factor parameters for a small-scale wave energy converter.