Wave energy conversion through a point pivoted absorber: Numerical and experimental tests on a scaled model

This paper presents numerical and experimental tests on an innovative wave energy conversion (WEC) system for extracting electrical power from waves. It consists of a point pivoted floater which oscillates due to waves. Linked to the buoyant body, an electromechanical generator based on ball-bearing screw converts floating movements into electrical power. At first, an analytical description of the system arrangement is presented. Then, experimental tests on a scaled model have been performed in wave/towing tank facility and data from tests were used for comparison with data from numerical simulations: both potential flow and Unsteady Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) numerical simulations were performed. These simulations have been performed in order to identify critical parameters for further WEC developments.