School of Civil and

Environmental Engineering
ENGG1000: CIVIL-ENVIRONMENTAL
INFRASTRUCTURE (WAVE POWER
DEVICE)

PROJECT
CVEN03

Objectives
The objectives of this project are to introduce you to a design project which includes both civil and environmental
aspects, and in which the natural variability of environmental conditions is a key consideration in the design and
testing.
A short series of lectures will introduce you to the field of coastal engineering, and you will gain experience
building and testing a scale model of your wave energy device in a laboratory wave flume.

Design Task
Design, construct and test a scaled physical model of a wave
energy device. Working in groups of 6, you will design,
construct and test the performance of a wave power device.
Waves are a source of renewable energy. Driven by waves, the
device is to be designed to harness the power of sea waves to
generate power. Some limitations on the construction of your
model will be necessary and your designs will be tested in a
wave tank in the Civil and Environmental Engineering
Building. Marks will be awarded based on construction and
aesthetics as well as performance of your model.

Design Report

Source: http://www.irishscientist.ie/p186a.htm)

The design report will include sections on:

the design philosophy why did you choose this design?
difficulties encountered and if and how you overcame them,
test conditions and their selection,
measurements undertaken on the model, and
a CAD drawing of the structure
Project Lectures

Table 1: Lecture template for Project 3

Project 3 Specific Lectures
Energy; environmental variability; equilibrium theory of
tides.
Tides and water level variation; water level rise due to
climate change.
Coastal engineering; waves and wave processes; tidal
power, wave power.

Lectures in common with Projects 1, 2 & 4

Teamwork
Sustainable design and construction technologies and
practices. Societal and environmental ethics
Engineering drawing (CAD).

ENGG1000 - CVEN PROJECT 03 (WAVE POWER DEVICE)

NOTICE TO DESIGNERS

Scope
Design, build and test a Wave Power Device (WPD) from any materials of your choice e.g. timber, plastic,
perspex, plaster of paris, papier mache (waterproofed), cement, nails, pins, screws, water resistant glue and wire.
The WPD is to be portable and robust so that it can be easily placed and positioned (including rotated by 20 o) in
the wave tank, as well as aesthetically pleasing.
Deliverables
A draft report by Monday Week 7
Scrutineering, testing of WPD and submission of final report by Monday Week 11
Prequalification of Modellers
Designers shall work in teams comprising undergraduate students enrolled in Design and Innovation at UNSW
(ENGG1000).
Instructions to Contractors
1. The WPD is to be of the Oscillating Water Column type.
2. The WPD must fit within the width of the wave tank in which it is to be tested.
3. The WPD is to be equipped with a cylindrical vent exactly 1cm in diameter and protruding at least 2cm above
the top of the air chamber and made from a robust material. The purpose of this is to enable the maximum air
velocity (and therefore the maximum air flow) to be measured.
4. Any construction method is permissible.
5. Minor revisions of these Instructions are possible during the course of this project. You will be informed of any
changes, particularly to Instruction 3 above.
Testing
Modellers shall arrive on site at the appointed time with completed WPDs. Before testing, the WPD project form
must be completed and handed to the client or their representative.
The test conditions are yet to be specified. They may include measuring the air flow with the WPD subject to
several different environmental conditions viz wave height, wave direction, water depth. The exact conditions are
yet to be specified.
Assessment Criteria for Models
Points will be awarded as follows:
a) Design, construction and artistic appearance up to 70 (seventy) points.
b) Performance: for the WPD with the highest air flow 30 (thirty) points;
for the WPD with the lowest air flow 10 (ten) points, and
a linear scaling for intermediate air flows.