Short duration performance of floating heave buoy WEC in the Lakshadweep Sea

In the wake of a proposed installation of two-body floating heave buoy wave energy convertor (WEC) off coast of Vizhinjam in peninsular India, this paper analyses functional estimates of short duration mean power generation and associated variability at a site in deepwater vicinity of the port town. The work is motivated by two aspects that are of interest to project planners and academics.First, the recently proposed concept of capture width function allows a convenient, functional approach to estimate power output by a WEC unit, as well as the associated variability. However, the approach remains to be applied to WEC technologies that capture energy specifically through oscillatory dynamics of masses, given that the concept has no implicit representation for mechanical oscillations within a WEC.Second, power conversion by heave motion is often augmented by alternate dynamic modes in commercial makes of heave buoy WEC technology. Impact of multi-mode power capture, particularly on short duration output power variability, is of considerable interest in the context of network integration.Comparison to the well tested Pelamis WEC shows the latter to be a competitive alternative in terms of output power variability, and hence in some ways a better option than floating heave buoys.

Automated summary

This paper analyzes the functional estimates of short duration mean power generation and associated variability at a site near the port town in peninsular India, where a proposed installation of two-body floating heave buoy wave energy convertor is supposed to be carried out. The study focuses on the application of the concept of capture width function for estimating power output and variability of WEC units that capture energy through oscillatory dynamics of masses, as well as the impact of multi-mode power capture on short duration output power variability. The comparison with the Pelamis WEC shows that it is a more competitive alternative in terms of output power variability compared to floating heave buoys.