9:34 AM Sat Oct 9 ••• L 67% - )

X EE Q

362 Energy from Water

Tube I
Power takeoff unit

Tube 2

Accumulator
Generator
Cylinder
Module
End cap

FIGURE 11.28 Cutaway Diagram of a Pelamis Wave Energy System (Source: Courtesy
of Pelamis Wave Power Ltd.)

systems have been actively tested since 2004, and they have been installed in wave farms
located primarily around the British Isles. Some problems have occurred due to the con stant
attack from the sea, which has caused many delays. To date, the wave farms have delivered
thousands of hours of power to the grid. The Orkney project is a 50 MW wave farm, and
when this project is completed, it will have up to 66 Pelamis machines con nected to the
United Kingdom grid.

Terminating Devices
Terminating devices trap waves within the device and use the up-and-down motion of the
water to extract energy. The oscillating water column is an example where captured water
moves up and down in a tube, forcing air though an opening to turn a turbine. The turbine is
connected to a generator that produces electrical power, similar in concept to a wind machine.
The tube for an oscillating water column is mounted at the edge of a cliff and extends
below the water. Figure 11-29 shows the horizontal and the vertical sections of the tube,
and the basic operation for this type of generator as waves flow in and out of the tube.
Incoming waves push a large volume of air up and out of the chamber, as shown in Figure
11-29(a). As the wave recedes, as shown in Figure 11-29(b), the air rushes back into the tube
and across the turbine. The turbine is a variable pitch device that turns in the same direction
no matter which way the air moves.
The first commercial version of this type of system went into production in 2011 in Scotland.
Previously, a demonstration project was constructed in 2000 in Italy; this early version has
been connected to the grid ever since, collecting valuable operating information. Several
projects are in the planning and development stages. Possible applications include using
the power generated to desalinize seawater and to convert wave energy to hydrogen for fuel
cells and other applications.

Turbine

(a) Incoming wave (b) Outgoing wave

FIGURE 11.29 Oscillating Water Column

362 of 503