Oscillating water column

Abstract

The times we live in today are complex where energy is concerned; the primary way in which global power is produced has had a direct effect on the natural climate of the earth. The fuel consumed by centralised power plants is primarily a non-renewable non sustainable resource removed from the earth and consumed within low efficient processes. Nicola Tesla was a visionary that knew even when electrical energy was in its infant years that producing energy from coal and oil was not sustainable and would have a direct effect on the global climate. Nicola Tesla envisioned a different world that produced its energy from the energy that surrounds us he knew that we could harness energy from solar radiation, wind and even the oceans, more than 100 years later this vision is beginning to become a reality. ¿Long before this consummation, coal and oil must cease to be important factors in the sustenance of human life on this planet. It should be borne in mind that electrical energy obtained by harnessing a waterfall is probably fifty times more effective than fuel energy. Since this is the most perfect way of rendering the sun¿s energy available, the direction of the future material development of man is clearly indicated.¿ Nicola Tesla 1905 This thesis aims to look at the extraction of energy from ocean waves a natural renewable and sustainable resource that has massive potential in supplying a percentage of the global energy demand. Ireland¿s geographical location entitles the population to one of the best wave energy resources in the world; this resource will be looked at in fine detail throughout the thesis and will give the reader a flavour for the potential of implementing wave energy converters in the North Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Ireland. The thesis will concentrate on a specific wave energy converter known as the oscillating water column; the components that are used within this device such as the turbine will be discussed in detail. A project build has also been undertaken to show the core concept behind converting wave energy into mechanical energy and therefore the possibility of producing electrical energy using an oscillating water column.