Inflate, Deflate, Generate Part I: Capturing Wave Energy Through a Submerged Deformable Volume

Abstract This paper describes ongoing research to develop a minimally sized, submerged wave energy converter (WEC), capable of producing 10 watts of consistent power in ocean deployments. The explored method is via a deformable bladder, filled with incompressible fluid, connected to a hydro turbine. The bladder cyclically compresses and inflates, due to the pressure differential between its interior environment and the exterior oscillating dynamic pressure created by propagating waves, generating a flow in and out of the volume. Exploratory experiments on a simplified version of the WEC were conducted and sensitivity-analysis revealed key parameters’ effects on the device’s performance. The findings were used to design a small-scale prototype and the device’s ongoing construction and upcoming testing are further detailed. A WEC-Sim model is introduced to characterize the bladder’s performance in the testing. This research aims to identify the range of sea states and depths that would merit deployment and what size a device would need to be to produce the intended power at a given site. The results are still pending.