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Multi Absorbing Wave Energy Converter (MAWEC)

Description of working principle

Pressure and suck

MAWEC is an OWC wave energy converter. In working principle it differs from other OWC’s in the way that it uses pressure and suck at the same time. This gives the wanted effect that the vertical force on the WEC is zero when the WEC streches over more than one wave length. See fig. 1. It is the suck forces (F_down) that prevent the WEC from floating up on the top of the waves. In this way it can be made with very low weight which reduces production costs.

Fig. 1

Fig. 1 shows the basic working principle. Here shown as one long arm with 2 times 30 tubes in a wave condition where the arm streches over 2 wave lengths. In this ideal situation there will alwas be 2 times 15 tubes that pushes air into the pressure channel and 2 times 15 tubes that sucks air out af the suck channel. During one wave period every of the 60 tubes are going through a sequence where it  first pushes air to the pressure channel when the wave is rising and later sucks air from the suck channel when the wave is falling. In this situation there will be a constant pressure in the channels and the flow through the turbines will also be constant.

Wave direction

In practice the WEC is constructed as a floating WEC with two arms each turned 40 degrees away from the wave front. Seen from above it looks like a flat V with the tip of the V against the wave front. When the WEC is anchored in the tip it will automatically adjust towards the wave front. In the same manner it is achieved that the WEC streches over more than one wave length. See fig. 2.

Fig. 2

MAWEC  is designed to be a floating WEC as this will give the lowest installations costs. It also gives some advantages in irregular wave conditions, regarding regulating air pressure and air flow, when there is a disharmoni in the amount of  air flow flowing into the WEC from rising waves and the air flow sucked out from falling waves