Floating Type Ocean Wave Power Station (Wells Type Runner Work Submerged in Seawater)

The authors have invented the unique ocean wave power station, which is composed of the floating type platform with a pair of floats lining up at the interval of one wave pitch and the counter-rotating type wave power unit boarding on the middle position of the platform. Such profiles may make the flow velocity at the runner twice faster than that of the traditional fixed type (OWC). The counter-rotating type wave power unit is composed of the tandem runners submerged in the seawater and the peculiar generator with double rotational armatures. The tandem runners counter-rotate in keeping each rotational direction constant, even at the oscillating flow, where the relative rotational speed is also twice faster than that in the single runner/armature type. It can be expected to make the runner size larger, namely the output higher because the torques are counter balanced in the unit and never act on the platform.At preliminary research, the single stage Wells type runner was boarded on the above platform, while the behavior of the platform and the performance of the power unit were investigated experimentally. The runner works fruitfully in response to the oscillating platform.Copyright © 2013 by ASME