Laboratory experiment on heaving body with hydraulic power take-off and latching control

A heaving axisymmetric floating body is tested with sinusoidal incident waves in a wave channel. It is connected to the piston of a pump, and it may be latched by an electromagnetic mechanism. Experimental results are compared with a linear mathematical model, for heave response, hydrodynamic parameters, absorbed wave power and converted hydraulic power. Heave resonance occurs at 1.1 Hz. For sub-resonant frequencies, latching control results in a significant increase in heave response and in absorbed, as well as converted, power. Hydraulic energy capture increases by a factor of 2.8 or 4.3 for frequency 0.75 or 0.5 Hz, respectively.