WAVE ENERGY CONTROL DEVICE

• US 20200032470A1
• Filed: 03/29/2018
• Published: 01/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Centre National De La Recherche Scientifique, Sorbonne Universite
• Original Assignee: Centre National De La Recherche Scientifique, Sorbonne Universite
• Inventors: EDDI, Antonin, DOMINO, Lucie, FERMIGIER, Marc
• Granted Patent: US 10,640,939 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: E02B 3/062 Constructions floating in operational condition, e.g. breakwaters or wave dissipating walls floating oil barriers E02B15/08; floating stream regulating devices E02B3/02
• CPC Class Codes: E02B 9/08 Tide or wave power plants water-pressure machines, tide or wave motors F03B
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 10/11 Hard structures, e.g. dams, dykes or breakwaters
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/30 Energy from the sea, e.g. using wave energy or salinity gradient

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system and device (1000) for controlling hydroelastic surface waves and to the use thereof.

In particular, the invention relates to a system for controlling hydroelastic waves propagating over the surface of a liquid (1), the controlling system comprising a floating composite structure (10) having at least two zones Z1 and Z2 the respective bending coefficients D1 and D2 and/or the shapes of which are adapted to control the propagation of the hydroelastic waves, and for which it is possible to define an index n_i, i being equal to 1 or 2, similar to the refractive index of an optical medium.

The controlling system thus allows the propagation of the hydroelastic waves to be able to be controlled by applying the laws of geometric optics.

Claims

1. A system for controlling hydroelastic waves on the surface of a liquid (1) comprising a composite structure (10) having at least two zones Z1 and Z2, of respective bending coefficients D1 and D2 defined by the equation:

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the zones Z1 and Z2 are contiguous.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the bending coefficients D1 and D2 are different because of differences between thicknesses and/or because of differences between the Young'"'"'s moduli E_i and/or different Poisson'"'"'s ratios v_i, of the materials from which the zones Z1 and Z2 are made.

4. The system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the variation in the bending coefficient between the passage from the zone Z1, of coefficient D1, to the zone Z2, of coefficient D2, is continuous.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein, having defined the index n_i, of the zone Zi as being proportional to the inverse of the propagation speed V_i, of the hydroelastic waves in the zone Zi, the propagation speed V_i, is defined by the equation:

6. The system as claimed in claim 5, furthermore comprising a third zone Z3 and such that:

the zones Z1, Z2 and Z3 are contiguous;

the zones Z1 and Z3 are of same index n₁ different from the index n₂ of the zone Z2, Z1 being the arrival zone of the hydroelastic waves and Z3 the exit zone; and

the shapes of the interfaces between the zones are circular arcs of radius R such that the set {Z1, Z2, Z3} behaves as an optical lens of focal length f defined by the equation;

7. The system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the lens formed by the set {Z1, Z2, Z3} is convergent if:

the set has a biconvex-lens shape and n₁<

n₂;

or if

the set has a biconcave-lens shape and n₁>

n₂.

8. The system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the zones Z1 and Z2 are contiguous, and of respective indices n₁ and n₂ respecting the equations:

9. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the zones Zi is composed of a matrix of floating pads (30) that are connected by elastic linking means (40) so that the matrix behaves as an effective zone Zeff_i of effective bending coefficient D_{eff_j} defined by the equation:

10. The use of a system for controlling hydroelastic surface waves as claimed in claim 7 to harvest the energy of waves propagating on the surface of a liquid such that the composite structure (200a or 200b) of the system for controlling the waves is adapted to focus the hydroelastic waves on a point.

11. The use of a system for controlling hydroelastic surface waves as claimed in claim 8 to protect a device possessing a portion in contact with the surface of the liquid, the composite structure (300) of the system being adapted to protect the portion in contact with the surface of the liquid and reflecting the hydroelastic waves that would otherwise reach the device.