Air Turbine Testing Device for a Small Wave Energy Converter
Midshipman Researcher(s): 1/C Preston Rhodes
Adviser(s): CDR Andrew Gish
Poster #67
A combined heaving point absorber and oscillating water column (OWC) wave energy converter (WEC) shows promise for distributed applications of wave energy such as remote sensing and communications. One aspect of the OWC WEC design which can be modified to improve performance is the air turbine. Several axial, bidirectional air turbine designs have been studied, but rarely have the highest-performing candidates undergone a side-by-side comparison. The present work describes the creation and implementation of a device which tests a variety of OWC air turbine designs. Considerations will include turbine candidate selection, test rig construction, experimental design, and data acquisition.
