Investigation of a double-degree-of-freedom wave energy converter

Abstract

Wave energy is a large-volume renewable, clean and pollution-free new energy source, which is of great significance in solving energy crisis and environmental degradation. Based on the similarity principle between mechanical and electrical system, the equivalent circuit model of the heave-surge double-degree-of-freedom wave energy converter (DDOF-WEC) is established by using the electrical analogue method in this paper. The sufficient condition of the system stability is analyzed using the Routh–Hurwitz criterion. It is verified that the DDOF-WEC has higher wave energy capture capability than the single-degree-of-freedom wave energy converter (SDOF-WEC).

Keywords

• Wave energy converter
• Multi degree of freedom
• Routh–Hurwitz criterion
• Array optimization
• Electrical analogue