Output Power for an Oscillating Water Column Wave Energy Conversion Device

Research in different types of ocean energy including wave energy, tidal energy, ocean thermal, ocean currents, salinity gradients and ocean biomass has led to promising technologies and in some cases commercial deployment. Ocean energy extractors can be integrated into coastal structures: one of the device is the oscillating water column (OWC), which has so far been used on shore and proposed for floating plants. Oscillating water column wave energy conversion devices consist of a partially submerged chamber open to incident wave. The ocean waves cause the water column inside the chamber to rise and fall, driving the air in and out of the chamber which in turn drives a turbo-generator. In this paper, an analytical model was proposed for an OWC wave energy converter and formulas were proposed for its output power and overall efficiency. The optimum values were found for both the power and efficiency.