Increasing power capture of a wave energy device by inertia adjustment

► Purpose of the work presented is to optimize the power capture of a ocean wave energy converter by modifying the inertia. ► This could be implemented by allowing some compartment of the device to be filled with water. ► Results show that this method of inertia modification could result in an increase of capture factor by 70-100% for the larger regular waves. ► Irregular wave tests showed that the use of only two ballasting configurations can lead to an overall capture factor of 40% in, without damping optimization. ► The overall benefit of inertia modification is a 15-25% increase in power capture when compared to a constant inertia configuration.