Energy Harvesting Through Wave Motion
Abstract
Wave energy has the potential to become a large source of renewable energy, but there is no consensus on the most efficient mode of extracting power. One major component of all wave energy converters (WECs) is the power take off (PTO) mechanism, which converts the absorbed energy of the system to useful power. Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) generate electricity through friction of two dissimilar materials, and previous studies have shown potential for this technology to be used as a PTO mechanism. This study tested different models of a horizontal-axis hydro turbine in order to evaluate the performance of a rotational TENG in the ocean environment. The hydro turbine models were tested in the tow tank to observe how much rotation can be produced by incoming waves and how each model parameter impacted the performance or rotational speed. The conclusions drawn from the experiment were used to determine how a similar model could be realistically implemented on unmanned undersea vehicles (UUVs). The number of blades on the hydro turbine most significantly impacted performance, and single blade models had the highest average angular speed compared to any other model.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2022
- Accession Number
- AD1185083
Entities
People
- Matthew C Peshek
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School