Wave energy conversion through a point pivoted absorber: Numerical and experimental tests on a scaled model

This paper presents numerical and experimental tests on an innovative wave energy conversion (WEC) system for extracting electrical power from waves. It consists of a point pivoted floater which oscillates due to waves. Linked to the buoyant body, an electromechanical generator based on ball-bearing screw converts floating movements into electrical power. At first, an analytical description of the system arrangement is presented. Then, experimental tests on a scaled model have been performed in wave/towing tank facility and data from tests were used for comparison with data from numerical simulations: both potential flow and Unsteady Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes (URANS) numerical simulations were performed. These simulations have been performed in order to identify critical parameters for further WEC developments. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.