Development of a Point Absorber Wave Energy Converter with Magnus Effect-Based Turbine Generator

Since wave power from ocean waves has the advantages of high energy density and predictability of fluctuations, various concepts of wave energy converter (WEC) have been proposed and investigated. However, only a few of them have progressed to the stage of practical application. This is because the wave energy is proportional to the width of the wave, so it is necessary to increase the size of WEC to capture large amounts of energy. The point absorber WEC can be a candidate for the best solution for WECs because it can harvest large amounts of energy regardless of the size of the system by resonating the operation of the system and the wave. In this study, a novel point absorber WEC using a turbine generator driven by the Magnus effect is proposed, and the usefulness of the proposed WEC are discussed through theoretical investigations. A simulation model is developed first. Steady-state characteristics of the system are investigated and system design guidelines are identified. It is shown that if the system is properly designed, it will be comparable to the wave power generation systems that have been realized. Finally, the resonance control necessary to achieve synchronization of operation of the WEC and wave oscillation is discussed.