Wave propulsion device (WPD) is a device that can directly absorbwave energy and convert it into forward thrust by using an oscillatinghydrofoil. The concept of WPD has been proposed for many years andhas been proved to be feasible as the dominating or assistant propulsionof ships. The main problem of such device is its low efficiency. A newidea to improve its efficiency is investigated in this paper by usingsmall floaters to adjust the attack angle of the hydrofoil, which is halfactiveand named as floater-adjusted wave propulsion device (FAWPD).The experimental tests show that the FAWPD can generatesignificantly more thrust compared with conventional designs.
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