Download or read book Evaluation of the Performance of a Taut-moored Dual-body Direct-drive Wave Energy Converter Through Numerical Modeling and Physical Testing written by David E. Elwood and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With energy prices rising and increasing concern about the influence of fossil fuels on climate change, wave energy systems are on the verge of commercial implementation. These first generation wave energy converters utilize either pneumatics or hydraulics to convert the mechanical energy of waves into electricity. For the last several years, the wave energy research group at Oregon State University has focused on increasing the efficiency of wave energy conversion systems by developing direct drive power take-off systems. Beginning in the fall of 2006 an interdisciplinary team was tasked with designing and building a 1kW direct drive wave energy converter to be tested in the open ocean. Their device, the SeaBeavI, provided a proof of concept for a taught moored, dual body, wave energy conversion system using a linear generator for power take-off. To evaluate the performance of the SeBeavI system a method was developed to incorporate measured forces from the linear generator into a coupled model of the system. This thesis is comprised of one conference paper and two journal papers. The conference paper provides an overview of the design and construction of the SeaBeavI. The first journal paper presents an in-depth description of the physical testing and numerical modeling of the system. The second journal paper provides performance predictions for the device based on the combined numerical and experimental results.