Experiments on Oscillation Characteristics of an Oscillating Water Column Wave Energy Converter with Triple Air Chamber

Abstract

Oscillating Water Column (OWC) wave power generation system consists of a primary conversion unit that generates air energy from waves and a secondary conversion unit that generates electricity from the air energy. In recent years, it has been confirmed that with dual air chambers in the primary conversion unit, a two-degree-of-freedom vibration is generated, allowing energy absorption over a wide frequency range. In this study, a model with triple air chambers was constructed to determine if a three-degree-of-freedom vibration would occur and if this would improve efficiency. The vibration characteristics were evaluated through tank experiments. As a result, the amplitude and phase of the three air chambers varied with the period. Additionally, it was observed that the contribution of each air chamber to energy conversion changed with the wave period, indicating the characteristic of converting wave energy into air energy across a range of short to long periods.