Mechanical design and simulation of an onshore four-bar wave energy converter

摘要

The paper presents the design of an onshore Wave Energy Converter (WEC) named ALETTONE (At Least Energy Thanks To Neptune), which is characterized by a low cost mechanical architecture based on a four bar linkage with Mobility in a vertical plane. The lower link is a floating rocker arm moved by the hydrostatic and hydrodynamic forces exerted by the sea water, whereas the upper rocker arm is connected to a rotating electric generator via a transmission composed of either a single or a pair of one-way clutches coupled to a speed multiplier gearbox. Due to its simplicity, this WEC concept seems to be an interesting solution for energy generation in isolated locations. After a description of the overall design, the dynamic model of the system is presented, along with simulation results in case of monochromatic and panchromatic waves. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.