CASE STUDY ANALYSIS OF A PELAMIS WAVE-ENERGY CONVERTER

Resumo

Having in mind the objectives defined by the UN 2030 agenda, researches such as those resulting from
the ondomotriz principle grew in importance. Therefore, this work aims to evaluate the potential energy conversion
provided by a Pelamis device in a study case for Rio Grande - RS. The development of the research is made through
parameterized numerical simulations, which were performed using ANSYS AQWA software. Specific issues were
necessary about verification of mesh refining convergence, time step definition and application of monochrome
waves belonging to the study area sea state. Relative to the anchorage system, the catenaries composition was
determined through an iterative routine using the MATLAB software. The simulations returned data about the
movement of the cylinders, which were processed in MATLAB aiming to quantify, plot and evaluate the rotation
in the joint between the cylinders. Thus, the stability of the mechanism and the possible power generation potential
is evaluated. The study demonstrates an important relationship between the structure length and the wavelength.
Finally, from the analysis of the results, the study suggests the best parameters combination for the researched
location.