IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/renene/v252y2025ics0960148125010468.html

High conversion efficiency of oscillating-buoy WEC with pneumatic PTO: Principle analysis and experimental verification

Author

Listed:
  • Rao, Xiang
  • Wu, Bijun
  • Liu, Peiyu
  • Zhang, Fuming
  • Yuan, Zhiwen

Abstract

This study is grounded in the fundamental properties of wave diffraction and the law of energy conservation, to establish a conversion system for four distinct wave energy conversion systems. Through both qualitative and quantitative analyses, it elucidates why the oscillating-buoy wave energy conversion system achieves superior overall conversion efficiency. In response, the physical model of this type of this system was designed, optimized and experimentally validated. Wide wave tank tests showed a capture width ratio (CWR) reached a peak value of 252.6 %, with an overall conversion efficiency of 77.1 %, highlighting a significant improvement in the wave energy conversion performance. Through principal analysis and experimental tests, it is indicated that this new technology serves as a crucial pathway to address issues such as poor survivability, low reliability, and low conversion efficiency.

Suggested Citation

  • Rao, Xiang & Wu, Bijun & Liu, Peiyu & Zhang, Fuming & Yuan, Zhiwen, 2025. "High conversion efficiency of oscillating-buoy WEC with pneumatic PTO: Principle analysis and experimental verification," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 252(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:252:y:2025:i:c:s0960148125010468
    DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2025.123384
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960148125010468
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.renene.2025.123384?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sheng, Wanan, 2019. "Power performance of BBDB OWC wave energy converters," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 709-722.
    2. Du, Xiaozhen & Chen, Haixiang & Li, Chicheng & Li, Zihao & Wang, Wenxiu & Guo, Dongxing & Yu, Hong & Wang, Junlei & Tang, Lihua, 2024. "Wake galloping piezoelectric-electromagnetic hybrid ocean wave energy harvesting with oscillating water column," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 353(PA).
    3. Henriques, J.C.C. & Gomes, R.P.F. & Gato, L.M.C. & Falcão, A.F.O. & Robles, E. & Ceballos, S., 2016. "Testing and control of a power take-off system for an oscillating-water-column wave energy converter," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 714-724.
    4. Elhanafi, Ahmed & Macfarlane, Gregor & Fleming, Alan & Leong, Zhi, 2017. "Scaling and air compressibility effects on a three-dimensional offshore stationary OWC wave energy converter," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 189(C), pages 1-20.
    5. Ozkop, Emre & Altas, Ismail H., 2017. "Control, power and electrical components in wave energy conversion systems: A review of the technologies," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 106-115.
    6. Gang, Ao & Guo, Baoming & Hu, Zhongbo & Hu, Rui, 2022. "Performance analysis of a coast – OWC wave energy converter integrated system," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 311(C).
    7. López, I. & Carballo, R. & Taveira-Pinto, F. & Iglesias, G., 2020. "Sensitivity of OWC performance to air compressibility," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 1334-1347.
    8. Babarit, A., 2015. "A database of capture width ratio of wave energy converters," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 610-628.
    9. Li, Xiaofan & Chen, ChienAn & Li, Qiaofeng & Xu, Lin & Liang, Changwei & Ngo, Khai & Parker, Robert G. & Zuo, Lei, 2020. "A compact mechanical power take-off for wave energy converters: Design, analysis, and test verification," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 278(C).
    10. Henriques, J.C.C. & Gato, L.M.C. & Falcão, A.F.O. & Robles, E. & Faÿ, F.-X., 2016. "Latching control of a floating oscillating-water-column wave energy converter," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 229-241.
    11. Li, Hai & Shi, Xiaodan & Kong, Weihua & Kong, Lingji & Hu, Yongli & Wu, Xiaoping & Pan, Hongye & Zhang, Zutao & Pan, Yajia & Yan, Jinyue, 2025. "Advanced wave energy conversion technologies for sustainable and smart sea: A comprehensive review," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 238(C).
    12. Ning, De-Zhi & Wang, Rong-Quan & Zou, Qing-Ping & Teng, Bin, 2016. "An experimental investigation of hydrodynamics of a fixed OWC Wave Energy Converter," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 168(C), pages 636-648.
    13. Sheng, Wanan, 2019. "Wave energy conversion and hydrodynamics modelling technologies: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 482-498.
    14. Wu, Bi-jun & Li, Meng & Wu, Ru-kang & Zhang, Yun-qiu & Peng, Wen, 2017. "Experimental study on primary efficiency of a new pentagonal backward bent duct buoy and assessment of prototypes," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 774-783.
    15. Son, Daewoong & Yeung, Ronald W., 2017. "Optimizing ocean-wave energy extraction of a dual coaxial-cylinder WEC using nonlinear model predictive control," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 187(C), pages 746-757.
    16. Clément, Alain & McCullen, Pat & Falcão, António & Fiorentino, Antonio & Gardner, Fred & Hammarlund, Karin & Lemonis, George & Lewis, Tony & Nielsen, Kim & Petroncini, Simona & Pontes, M. -Teresa & Sc, 2002. "Wave energy in Europe: current status and perspectives," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 6(5), pages 405-431, October.
    17. Hong, Yue & Waters, Rafael & Boström, Cecilia & Eriksson, Mikael & Engström, Jens & Leijon, Mats, 2014. "Review on electrical control strategies for wave energy converting systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 329-342.
    18. Sheng, Wanan, 2019. "Motion and performance of BBDB OWC wave energy converters: I, hydrodynamics," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 106-120.
    19. Henriques, J.C.C. & Gato, L.M.C. & Lemos, J.M. & Gomes, R.P.F. & Falcão, A.F.O., 2016. "Peak-power control of a grid-integrated oscillating water column wave energy converter," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 378-390.
    20. Chang, G. & Ruehl, K. & Jones, C.A. & Roberts, J. & Chartrand, C., 2016. "Numerical modeling of the effects of wave energy converter characteristics on nearshore wave conditions," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 636-648.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Peiyu Liu & Xiang Rao & Bijun Wu & Zhiwen Yuan & Fuming Zhang, 2025. "Performance Studies on a Scaled Model of Dual Oscillating-Buoys WEC with One Pneumatic PTO," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(15), pages 1-21, August.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Faÿ, François-Xavier & Robles, Eider & Marcos, Marga & Aldaiturriaga, Endika & Camacho, Eduardo F., 2020. "Sea trial results of a predictive algorithm at the Mutriku Wave power plant and controllers assessment based on a detailed plant model," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 1725-1745.
    2. Yang, Huanbin & Zhang, Yongliang & Luo, Ping & Guo, Peng & Xu, Haochun & Wang, Chen & He, Yikuan, 2026. "Physical model tests of Backward Bent Duct Buoy: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 226(PC).
    3. Xu, Haochun & Zhang, Yongliang & Wang, Chen & Yang, Huanbin, 2025. "Numerical study on aerodynamic and hydrodynamic load characteristics of a floating pneumatic wave energy converter under real sea conditions," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 314(C).
    4. Xu, Haochun & Zhang, Yongliang & Wang, Chen & Yang, Huanbin, 2025. "Numerical investigation on a floating multi-chamber pneumatic wave energy conversion device with three sub-units," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 394(C).
    5. Guo, Bingyong & Ringwood, John V., 2021. "Geometric optimisation of wave energy conversion devices: A survey," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 297(C).
    6. Guo, Peng & Zhang, Yongliang & Chen, Wenchuang & Wang, Chen, 2024. "Fully coupled simulation of dynamic characteristics of a backward bent duct buoy oscillating water column wave energy converter," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 294(C).
    7. Zhou, Yu & Ning, Dezhi & Liang, Dongfang & Cai, Shuqun, 2021. "Nonlinear hydrodynamic analysis of an offshore oscillating water column wave energy converter," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
    8. Elhanafi, Ahmed & Kim, Chan Joo, 2018. "Experimental and numerical investigation on wave height and power take–off damping effects on the hydrodynamic performance of an offshore–stationary OWC wave energy converter," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 518-528.
    9. Wang, Chen & Zhang, Yongliang & Deng, Zhengzhi, 2022. "Hydrodynamic performance of a heaving oscillating water column device restrained by a spring-damper system," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 187(C), pages 331-346.
    10. Wang, Chen & Zhang, Yongliang & Deng, Zhengzhi, 2021. "Theoretical analysis on hydrodynamic performance for a dual-chamber oscillating water column device with a pitching front lip-wall," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 226(C).
    11. Tunde Aderinto & Hua Li, 2019. "Review on Power Performance and Efficiency of Wave Energy Converters," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-24, November.
    12. Wu, Jinming & Yao, Yingxue & Zhou, Liang & Göteman, Malin, 2018. "Real-time latching control strategies for the solo Duck wave energy converter in irregular waves," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 222(C), pages 717-728.
    13. Wang, Chen & Zhang, Yongliang & Deng, Zhengzhi, 2022. "A novel dual-chamber oscillating water column system with dual lip-wall pitching motions for wave energy conversion," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 246(C).
    14. Chen, Xianzhi & Lu, Yunfei & Zhou, Songlin & Chen, Weixing, 2024. "Design, modeling and performance analysis of a deformable double-float wave energy converter for AUVs," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 292(C).
    15. Lorenzo Ciappi & Lapo Cheli & Irene Simonetti & Alessandro Bianchini & Giampaolo Manfrida & Lorenzo Cappietti, 2020. "Wave-to-Wire Model of an Oscillating-Water-Column Wave Energy Converter and Its Application to Mediterranean Energy Hot-Spots," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-28, October.
    16. Xie, Weixin & Chen, Wenchuang & Huang, Wei & Huang, Luofeng, 2025. "Enhancing wave energy conversion in oscillating water column devices using breather valve-based pneumatic regulation: A CFD study," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 340(C).
    17. Milad Shadman & Corbiniano Silva & Daiane Faller & Zhijia Wu & Luiz Paulo de Freitas Assad & Luiz Landau & Carlos Levi & Segen F. Estefen, 2019. "Ocean Renewable Energy Potential, Technology, and Deployments: A Case Study of Brazil," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-37, September.
    18. Faÿ, François-Xavier & Henriques, João C. & Kelly, James & Mueller, Markus & Abusara, Moahammad & Sheng, Wanan & Marcos, Marga, 2020. "Comparative assessment of control strategies for the biradial turbine in the Mutriku OWC plant," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 2766-2784.
    19. Ning, De-zhi & Wang, Rong-quan & Chen, Li-fen & Sun, Ke, 2019. "Experimental investigation of a land-based dual-chamber OWC wave energy converter," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 48-60.
    20. Xu, Haochun & Zhang, Yongliang & Wang, Chen, 2025. "Energy conversion performance of a floating wave energy converter array composed of backward bent duct buoys," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 324(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:252:y:2025:i:c:s0960148125010468. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/renewable-energy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.