Experimental Characterization of a Laboratory-Scaled Oscillating Surge Wave Energy Converter

This data is a result of an experimental campaign to characterize the hydrodynamics and performance of a laboratory-scale oscillating surge wave energy converter (OSWEC). The device was 85 cm wide, 1.4 meters tall, and 14 cm thick and was tested in the SWEL wave tank at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory which is 2.5 meters wide with a water depth of 1.3 meters. The device included fifteen pressure sensors on the flap face, two 6-axis load cells at the hinge, an encoder to measure flap position, and a motor to emulate a PTO and absorb power. We provide a full summary of the device and experiments in the TEAMER Post-Access Report titled "Optimal control of an oscillating surge wave energy converter".

This directory contains data from four types of experiments:
1. Buoyancy Tests - We measure the torque required to hold the flap at different angles to characterize buoyancy torque as a function of position.
2. Locked Flap (Excitation) Tests - We measure the torque on a locked flap subject to different wave parameters to extract the excitation torque coefficient.
3. Forced Oscillation (Radiation) Tests - We force the flap to oscillate at different periods and amplitudes to extract added inertia and radiation damping coefficients.
4. Control Tests - We subject the flap to different waves and use a linear damping controller to emulate a PTO and extract absorbed power and capture width ratio (CWR) as a function of wave and control parameters.

This data set includes raw and processed time series data from the encoder and load cells, as well as calculated hydrodynamic and performance parameters from the tests. We include a README document as well as a spreadsheet with individual test details as a reference.

Funding for this experimental campaign was provided by the TEAMER Program under RFTS 10 and was a collaboration between the University of Washington and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.