OPTIMIZATION OF A TORUS-SHAPED WAVE ENERGY CONVERTER ATTACHED TO A HINGED ARM

This paper presents the adaptation of a torus wave energy converter prime mover to an onshore or nearshore fixed platform, by a hinged arm. An optimization code is developed to obtain the best torus and arm geometry, as well as the power take -off parameters, taking as objective function the maximization of total wave absorbed power. In this paper, the power take -off system is modelled as a simplified damper and spring system, where the parameters are optimized for the phase control of the wave energy converter in each sea state, whereas the optimization process is performed with a genetic algorithm. Finally, the optimal result for the productive sea state indicates that the absorbed power is relatively considerable while a better survivability performance is expected from a torus wave energy converter compared to a conventional truncated prime mover.