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Shoreline Wave Energy Converted to Electrical Energy with help of LIMPET

Technology and its Assessment

Article · June 2016

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 Journal of Renewable Energy and Resources
Volume 1 Issue 2

Shoreline Wave Energy Converted to Electrical Energy with help of

LIMPET Technology and its Assessment

Devasis Pradhan

Assistant Professor

Electronics & Communication Department

Padmanava College of Engineering, Rourkela

Corresponding Author: devasis2007@gmail.com

Abstract
There is energy from the sun stored as thermal energy in the oceans, and there is mechanical
energy in ocean waves. Wave power refers to the energy of ocean surface waves and the capture
of that energy to do useful work. Sea waves are a very promising energy carrier among
renewable power sources. The average wavelength of deep water ocean waves is about 120 m
and such a wave has a power density of about 100 kW/m. For wave energy conversion, there are
three basic types : channel systems that funnel waves into reservoirs, float systems that use
buoyant forces to drive hydraulic pumps, and oscillating water columns that use the pressure of
waves in an enclosed container to compress the air or other fluid within. This article is based on
one of the wave conversion process called OWC or LMPET (Land Installed Marine Powered
Energy Transformer).

Keywords: OWC wave energy converter, LIMPET, Technical & economic assessment, Resource
of wave power.

INTRODUCTION solar power. Marine energy can be split up

Marine energy is a new and exciting into wave energy and tidal energy. Wave
technology but it is yet to reach a level of power refers to the energy of ocean surface
development comparable to either wind or waves and the capture of that energy to do

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 Journal of Renewable Energy and Resources
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useful work. Sea waves are a very promising OWC (OSCILLATING WATER
energy carrier among renewable power COLUMN) WAVE ENERGY
sources, since they are able to manifest an CONVERTER.
enormous amount of energy resources in
The oscillating water column (OWC) as
almost all geographical regions. Deep sea
illustrated in Fig. No. 1 operates much like a
wave energy is generated by winds blowing
wind turbine via the principle of wave
across the surface and exciting the water.
induced air pressurization. Some sort of
This produces large waves of long time
closed containment housing (air chamber) is
period and large amplitude. The water
placed above the water and the passage of
molecules rotate in a circular orbit, with the
waves changes the water level within the
radius decreasing with depth. Therefore
housing. If the housing is completely sealed,
kinetic energy needs to be stored in the sea
the rising and falling water level will
water to establish wave motion. The phase
increase and decrease the air pressure
shift in the orbits produces progressive
respectively within the housing. With this
waves on the water surface which are
concept in mind, we can place a turbine on
essentially waves of potential energy. It is
top of the housing through which air may
the potential energy waves that are harvested
pass into and out of. Air will flow into the
and converted into electrical power. Sea
housing during a wave trough and will flow
wave behavior is very complex and
out of the housing during a wave crest.
prediction difficult. When waves come into
Because of this bidirectional air flow, the
a shoreline the shallowing sea bed produces
turbine must be designed to rotate in only
drag and the circular orbits become more
one direction no matter the direction of air
elliptical and the wave energy is damped
flow. The Wells Turbine was designed for
(breaking waves). Hence shoreline wave
this type of application and is used in most
energy is much lower than deep-sea wave
OWC devices today. On this working
energy. This shoreline wave energy is
principle Limpet works. [1, 2]
converted to electrical energy with the help
of Land Installed Marine Powered Energy
Transformer (LIMPET).

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Fig: No. 1

SHORT HISTORICAL DETAIL facility and as a demonstration unit

supplying wave-generated electricity into
The LIMPET (Land Installed Marine
the local grid.[3]
Powered Energy Transformer) shoreline
OWC (Sarmento and Falcao, 1985) is a BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF LIMPET
500kW wave energy collector located on the
The Limpet is a modular OWC, developed
South Western coast of the Hebridean island
from operational experience gained on the
of Islay. It is situated close to the site of the
Islay device (Whittaker and Raghunathan,
now decommissioned 75kW prototype
1993; Whittaker et al, 1995a and 1995b). It
device that was installed by The Queens
follows the designer gully concept, in which
University of Belfast in 1991 (Whittaker et
the device is constructed and fixed in place
al, (1997). The new site is more exposed to
close to the shoreline, being protected from
the Atlantic Ocean (Mollinson, 1991) than
the sea by a rock bund shown in Fig .No 2.
the prototype unit and final commissioning
When the device is completely installed, the
commenced after the civil engineering
bund is removed, allowing the sea access to
construction was completed in September
the device. The device consists of three
2000. It has been designed as a research

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 Journal of Renewable Energy and Resources
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water columns placed side by side in a man- There are two low solidity, counter rotating
made recess, which forms a slipway at an Wells’ turbines, each rated at 500 kW. The
angle to the horizontal shown in Fig. No.3. initial blade design and material have yet to
In the current design for the island of Islay, be confirmed but it is likely that they will be
the water column boxes are made from a solid blades (for robustness) with air flow
steel-concrete-steel sandwich called stabilizers (to maintain streamlined flow to
BISTEEL, giving a device width of 21 m. higher angles of attack). The turbines are
Other, novel construction methods are placed behind the OWC chambers and the
currently being evaluated. The device is associated electrical equipment is located
anchored to the rock promontories on either behind the turbines, where it is protected
side and to the base. Wave tank tests have from sea water splashes by a rock bund.
shown that the inclined slope increases the Each set of turbines is protected by a sluice
capture efficiency, whilst the dog leg on the gate, which can prevent the turbines being
front wall inhibits outflow and so helps to subjected to green water in stormy seas. The
prevent exposure of the lower lip to air. turbines also have flywheels to smooth out
energy supply, as well as blow out
The Turbines
valves.[4]

Fig 2. Fig 3.

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TECHNICAL & ECONOMIC 4. The device has a design life of +30

ASSESSMENT years for the structure but that of the
mechanical and electrical plant will be
a) Technical Consideration:-
somewhat less. This approach has been
1. This technique is a novel one but
to use robust and reliable components,
appears to be feasible. The removal of
so they should achieve the adequate
any rock debris is essential in order to
reliability found when used in other,
prevent the debris entering the OWC
similar situations.
chamber in service.
5. It require a geographically the scheme
2. The capture efficiency of the system
which needs the right combination of
has been proven in model testing but it
shoreline topography and geography,
is likely to be site-specific; the selected
together with low tidal ranges and
site has a shoreline profile that
closeness to the grid.
effectively provides the device with
harbor walls, which increase capture
(b) Economic Consideration
efficiency.
3. The turbines are situated close to the Construction of wave parks should be made
OWC end of the air vents ( twice the in areas of moderated or lower environment
turbine diameter), which could result in sensibility, using safe technologies. The
non streamlined air flow and relative costs distribution of a wave park
consequential loss of efficiency . plant is shown displayed in the graph of Fig
No. 4

Fig No. 4

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It is difficult to realistically estimate the unit Wave energy is unevenly distributed over
costs of electrical energy produced from the the globe. Fig. No. 5 shows an Atlas of the
global power density distribution of the
waves since the few existing schemes have
oceans where the numbers indicate kW/m.
been prototypes with the additional costs
The north and south temperature zones have
incurred by such a stage of development.
the best sites for capturing wave power. The
However the estimated costs have shown a
prevailing winds in these zones blow
steady decrease with time in recent last
strongest in winter. Increased wave activity
year’s. It should be noted that the cost of
is found between the latitudes of 30° and
energy produced is a function of local wave
60° on both hemispheres, induced by the
climate and, in the case of shoreline devices.
prevailing western winds blowing in these
[5,6]
regions.
RESOURCE OF WAVE POWER IN
WORLD

Fig. 5

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Volume 1 Issue 2

The oceanic wave climate (i.e. far offshore) arrangement. This is a simple device which
offers enormous levels of energy. As waves is straightforward to construct and test.
approach the shore, energy is dissipated,
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
leading to lower wave power levels on the
shoreline. Therefore, the energy availability I would like to acknowledge and extend
is sensitive to location and the distance from heartfelt gratitude to Dr. B. K. Panigrahi,
the shoreline.[7] Principal, Prof. R. V. Bura, Dean (Aced.),
Prof. K. C. Mohapatra, H.O.D, E.T.E and
CONCLUSION
Er. P.K.Nandy, Secretary, Padmanava
Wave energy is not expensive to operate and College of Engineering, Rourkela for their
maintain, no fuel is needed and no waste is full co-operation during the preparation of
produced. However, it depends on the this paper, most especially to my family and
intensity of the waves and needs a suitable friends and to God, who made all things
site where waves are consistently strong. possible.
The infrastructure must be able to withstand
REFERENCES
very rough weather. Wave power lies not in
huge plants but in a combination of on-shore [1] Bent Sorenfen: “Renewable Energy”,
generation and near-shore generation (using Elsevier Academic Press, 2004
a different technology) focused on meeting Edition.
local or regional needs. If this system proves
to be economically possible, only 0.1% of [2] Review paper By : - Leão Rodrigues
the renewable energy within the world's “Wave power conversion systems for
oceans could supply more than five times electrical energy production”,
the global demand for energy, The LIMPET Department of Electrical
Wave Energy Converter is a revolutionary Engineering Faculty of Science and
concept resulting from many years of Technology Nova University of
engineering development. A simple Lisbon.
description of wave energy is put forward
together with an explanation of an OWC
[3] Wikipedia: Wave Energy
Conversion.

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 Journal of Renewable Energy and Resources
Volume 1 Issue 2

[4] Thorpe, T.W. An overview of wave

energy technologies: status,
performance and costs. In Wave
power: moving towards commercial
viability, 1999 (Wiley, Chichester,
UK).

[5] Wave Energy Planning and

Marketing. Available from
http://www.waveplam.eu/ (access
date 4 September 2008).

[6] B. Weedy and B. Cory: “Electric

Power Systems”, Wiley, Fourth
Edition, London 1998.

[7] Wikipedia: Web site on Power Wave.

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