Ocean Energy Ressource Utilisation by Wave

Dragon and other Wave Energy Devices

Jens Peter Kofoed

Department of Civil Engineering
Aalborg University

ECPE Seminar on Renewable Energies

ISET, Kassel, Germany
9-10/2-2006

Ocean Energy by Wave ECPE seminar on Renewable Energies

Dragon and other WECs ISET 9-10/2-2006
 The Potential of Wave Energy

• Denmarks consumption of electricity: 3,7 GW

• Wave energy, Danish west coast (offshore):
– Up to 25 MW/km
– Average ~16 MW/km
– ~150 km available, ~2,4 GW
• At North Atlantic European Coasts: 25 - 75
MW/km
• In the Mediterranean: 4 - 11 MW/km
• Total potential off European coasts: ~320 GW

Ocean Energy by Wave ECPE seminar on Renewable Energies

Dragon and other WECs ISET 9-10/2-2006
 Principles for Utilisation of Ocean Energy
(Waves)

• Oscillating Water Columns

• Overtopping devices

• Point absorbers

• And many others …

Ocean Energy by Wave ECPE seminar on Renewable Energies

Dragon and other WECs ISET 9-10/2-2006
 Oscillating Waver Columns

WaveGen, Islay Pico, Azores Energetech, AU

Ocean Energy by Wave ECPE seminar on Renewable Energies

Dragon and other WECs ISET 9-10/2-2006
 Overtopping devices

Wave Dragon, Nissum Bredning SSG, Kvitsøy

Ocean Energy by Wave ECPE seminar on Renewable Energies
Dragon and other WECs ISET 9-10/2-2006
 Point absorbers

Wave Star AquaBuOY AWS, Portugal

Ocean Energy by Wave ECPE seminar on Renewable Energies
Dragon and other WECs ISET 9-10/2-2006
 And some of the others

Wave Rotor Pelamis, Orkney

Ocean Energy by Wave ECPE seminar on Renewable Energies

Dragon and other WECs ISET 9-10/2-2006
 State of the art

• Rougly 10 prototype devices installed

• First 3 commerciel units sold
• European Wave Energy Organization formed
• Technology verified
• Technology currently relying on subsidies

Ocean Energy by Wave ECPE seminar on Renewable Energies

Dragon and other WECs ISET 9-10/2-2006
 Wave energy in 10 – 20 years
• EU will push the development until 10-20
well functioning devices have been installed
• The time scale (due to the large size of the
devices delays the development
• Energy price: 0.12-0.25 €/kWh
• A lot depends on political will the coming
years – (ie. political stability in the Middle
East, Russia etc., price of oil)
• Security of supply is an important factor

Ocean Energy by Wave ECPE seminar on Renewable Energies

Dragon and other WECs ISET 9-10/2-2006
 The Wave Dragon Case

Ocean Energy by Wave ECPE seminar on Renewable Energies

Dragon and other WECs ISET 9-10/2-2006
 Wave Dragon principle
The Wave Dragon is a slack-moored wave energy converter that can be
deployed alone or in parks wherever a sufficient wave climate and a water
depth of more than 25 m is found.

Climate Power production

24 kW/m 12 GWh/y/unit
36 kW/m 20 GWh/y/unit
48 kW/m 35 GWh/y/unit
Wave reflector

Waves overtopping the

doubly curved ramp
Reservoir

Turbine outlet

Ocean Energy by Wave ECPE seminar on Renewable Energies

Dragon and other WECs ISET 9-10/2-2006
 Wave Dragon partners/subcontractors
• Löwenmark F.R.I, Inventor, Consulting Eng. (DK)
• SPOK ApS, Project Management Cons. (DK)
• MT Højgaard A/S, Construction Enterprise (DK)
• Aalborg University – Hydraulics & Coastal Engineering
Laboratory (DK)
• Balslev A/S, Consulting Engineers - electrical and
automation systems (DK)
• Niras as, Consulting Engineer, Wave forecasting models
(DK)
• Armstrong Technology Associates Ltd., Naval Architects
(UK) (Babcock Design & Technology)
• VeteranKraft AB, Consulting Engineers - hydro turbine
design (S)
• Nöhrlind Ltd, Research & Business strategy development
(UK)
• Technical University Munich, Hydro turbine testing and
CFD modelling (D)
• Kössler Ges.m.b.H., Manufacturer of hydro turbines (A)
• ESBI Engineering Ltd. (IE)
• Wave Energy Centre, Lisbon (PT)
• Rozmerovy Nacrte (CS)
Ocean Energy by Wave ECPE seminar on Renewable Energies
Dragon and other WECs ISET 9-10/2-2006
 Nissum Bredning, Denmark
The wave climate in scale 1:4.5 of the North Sea

Ocean Energy by Wave ECPE seminar on Renewable Energies

Dragon and other WECs ISET 9-10/2-2006
 Wave Dragon
RTD activities
• Two different test sites
– Close to Danish Wave Power
Association's test site
– Further south-east where more
wave energy is available
• WD prototype fully equipped
– Turbines 1+6+3
– Grid connected generators
– Floating level control system
Ocean Energy by Wave
Dragon and other WECs
• Measuring equipment
– Pressure transducers
– Accelerometers
– Force transducers
– Movement transducers
– Strain gauges
• Online monitoring
– Performance, WebCams, weather
ECPE seminar on Renewable Energies
ISET 9-10/2-2006
 First offshore wave energy converter
producing power to the grid, May ’03

Ocean Energy by Wave ECPE seminar on Renewable Energies

Dragon and other WECs ISET 9-10/2-2006
 Prototype overtopping measurements
q sop 2S
Q* =
gH L 3 Q* 0.025 exp(40 R * )
s

Bulk overtopping data: 0.0040

Hald & Frigaard (2001)
• Wave directionality, limited 0.0035
WD-NB 05-15.12.03
weather vaning 0.0030
• Dummy turbines not 0.0025

Q* [ - ] .
included
0.0020
• Spilling and leakage
0.0015

Conclusion: 0.0010
In ordinary, well controlled, 0.0005
operational conditions, the 0.0000
overtopping rates are
0.00 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20
as expected – indications *
R [-]
of even higher rates under
certain circumstances. Rc s op
R* =
Hs 2S

Ocean Energy by Wave ECPE seminar on Renewable Energies

Dragon and other WECs ISET 9-10/2-2006
 Power Take Off
Propeller turbine PM Generator Frequency inverter

• Optimal turbine/generator speed found from turbine characteristics based on

measured head
• PLC controls frequency inverters to obtained optimal speed
• Frequency inverters reports generator and net data back to PLC

Turbines: PMG’s: PMG and grid

frequency inverters:
Propeller 2.5 kW each
Downscaled 250 kW
Cylindergate Directly axle-
wind turbine inverters
connected to turbines
Efficiency ~90 %
230/400VAC/50Hz
Suitable for frequent
Low-head
start/stop
Variable speed
Ocean Energy by Wave ECPE seminar on Renewable Energies
Dragon and other WECs ISET 9-10/2-2006
 Energy production, example
041213_WD_133:
– Hs = 0.621 m
– FL = 0.454 m
– Crest level ratio: 0.73
– Ave. flow: 1.036 m3/s
– Ave. Act. Power: 0.92 kW (3.3 %)
– Ave. Est. power: 2.47 kW (8.9 %)
– Ave. Hydr. Power: 4.41 kW (15.9 %)
– Turbine utilization:
2 4 5 8 9 10:
99 91 71 40 29 22 [%]
Working near full capacity
16000 4.0
PowerProd [W ] 3.5
14000 hydPowerProd [W ]
12000 EstPowerProd [W ] 3.0
Flow [m^3/s]

Flow [m^3/s]
10000 2.5
Power [W]

8000 2.0

6000 1.5

4000 1.0

2000 0.5

0 0.0
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800
Tim e [s ]

Ocean Energy by Wave ECPE seminar on Renewable Energies

Dragon and other WECs ISET 9-10/2-2006
 PTO experiences
• No PTO turnkey solution initially available for WD
• WD PTO designed and installed
• A working WD PTO is now a reality
• “Child deceases” pointed out – solvable, but requires
engineering
• It is not trivial to take known and proven technology to a
new environment
• Since it is unlikely that all problems have been seen yet,
further testing at reduced scale and in real sea
environments is needed
• Long term testing still required in order to provide reliable
data for formulation of O&M procedures

Ocean Energy by Wave ECPE seminar on Renewable Energies

Dragon and other WECs ISET 9-10/2-2006
 Availability May 2003- Jan. 2005
Power production Test Down time Re-construction
Continuous production Testing
Re-construction Out of operation
100%

90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%
May 03 Aug. 03 Nov. 03 Feb. 04 May 04 Aug. 04 Nov. 04

Ocean Energy by Wave ECPE seminar on Renewable Energies

Dragon and other WECs ISET 9-10/2-2006
 Further developments
Modification of shoulder connection:
• Reduction of forces and movements.
• Hydraulic power take-off to reduce wear.

Improvement of efficiency by refinement of:

• Geometrical design.
• Control algorithms for turbine and power take-off operation.
• Control algorithms for device stability.
• Wave-by-wave forecasting for regulation of turbines.
• Floating level adjustment.
Wave climate 36 kW/m
Conservative estimates of effect Width 300 m
of refinements (10 – 15 % on each Yearly production 20 GWh
item) justify the stated long term Efficiency 21 %
power production rates Installed capacity 7 MW
Load factor 33 %

Ocean Energy by Wave ECPE seminar on Renewable Energies

Dragon and other WECs ISET 9-10/2-2006
 Next step
• Multi MW Wave Dragon prototype: Wales
• Research part EU funded: FP6 (STREP)
• Welsh objective one funding for deployment in Wales
• Venture company found (KP Renewables), contract signed
• Design work ongoing

Ocean Energy by Wave ECPE seminar on Renewable Energies

Dragon and other WECs ISET 9-10/2-2006
 The Wave Dragon Vision

Seen from 100 feet above sea level and at a distance of 3 miles

ſ Two years operational experience

ſ Wave energy absorption performance verified
ſ Offshore wave energy is a reality
Ocean Energy by Wave ECPE seminar on Renewable Energies
Dragon and other WECs ISET 9-10/2-2006
 Thank you for your attention!

Ocean Energy by Wave ECPE seminar on Renewable Energies

Dragon and other WECs ISET 9-10/2-2006