Publications

Gaspar, J.F., Calvario, M. and Guedes Soares, C. (2016), “Power take-off system for wave energy converters based on hydraulic transformer units”, Renewable Energy, 2016, Vol. 86, pp. 1232-1246

The oil-hydraulic based Power Take-Off system has well-adapted characteristics to larger power and low frequency waves but it also has technical problems, such as the spring, oscillatory and transient effects of the oil caused by the throttling operation of valves which lead to the fatigue damage of pipelines, pumps and accessories. This paper presents a generic hydraulic based PTO to different Wave Energy Converters that minimizes these problems with technology already tested in other fields and with the use of hydraulic transformers and the speed control of their secondary drives. Moreover this paper contributes to a better understanding of the implications of using the hydraulic transformer in the Power Take-Off system. According to the simulations, approximately 80% of the Power Take-Off system overall hydraulic efficiency might be achieved, and so, showing that using a hydraulic transformer in the Power Take-Off system can be beneficial.

You can download this paper from: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960148115303141

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