SeaRay Open Water Test in Puget Sound
In 2011 with funding from the Department of Energy (DOE) Columbia Power Technologies (C-Power) deployed an early prototype of their SeaRay Wave energy converter (WEC). The deployment lasted just over 13 months with a 1/7 scale prototype of the SeaRay device. While public reports from the deployment have the power performance of the device redacted, a later WEC-Sim study reportedly compared real data from the deployment to its modeling data. In the paper the device produced peak power around some 500 W at wave heights of approx. 0.55 m and periods between 3 to 5 seconds. However, work done by the Applied Physics Lab at the University of Washington showed the deployment site would experience waves predominantly between 0.2 m and 0.4 m at 2 s periods, which was later confirmed by the devices sensors itself thus placing the average power output of the device somewhere closer to 100 W.
While power data was gathered it was not the only or main focus of the deployment, with reports admitting that that certain aspects of the SeaRay when scaled would not behave as they would at full scale. Instead the deployment also tested a wide array of other aspects, including the feasibility of an easily modifiable fiberglass hull, the loading on the three point mooring system, maintenance at sea with divers removing biofouling and acoustic the signature of the device. To ensure power for the sensors needed for these tasks, the scaled model was equipped with three 220 W solar panels which provided the energy necessary over the summer months until winter waves returned and the device itself was able to supply more of the power.
Noteworthy work from the deployment:
- Garrad Hassan America Inc.'s work determining the scaling factor to be used.
- Sound & Sea Technology's work determining the test site, local bathymetry, and deployment / recovery plan.
- Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) at UW's work predicting the sites sea state for the deployment duration.
- Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center's (NNMREC) study on the devices acoustics.
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“SeaRay Open Water Test in Puget Sound.” Marine Energy Projects Database: Projects, PRIMRE, United States Department of Energy, https:https://openei.org/wiki/PRIMRE/Databases/Projects_Database/Projects/SeaRay_Open_Water_Test_in_Puget_Sound. Accessed <day> <monthRoman> <year>.
Marine Energy Projects Database: Projects. <year>. "SeaRay Open Water Test in Puget Sound." Accessed <monthRoman> <day>, <year>. https:https://openei.org/wiki/PRIMRE/Databases/Projects_Database/Projects/SeaRay_Open_Water_Test_in_Puget_Sound.
