Design and Study of a New Wave Actuator for a Boat

The design and analysis of a new wave actuator for boats is presented in this paper. The wave actuator is installed beneath the boat hull and converts the hydrodynamic forces generated by rising waves on the boat into translational thrusting forces. The wave actuator consists of a flexible water tan...

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Main Authors: Phan Huy Nam Anh, Hyeung-Sik Choi, Dongwook Jung, Rouchen Zhang, Mai The Vu, Hyunjoon Cho
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Applied Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/12/6756
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author Phan Huy Nam Anh
Hyeung-Sik Choi
Dongwook Jung
Rouchen Zhang
Mai The Vu
Hyunjoon Cho
author_facet Phan Huy Nam Anh
Hyeung-Sik Choi
Dongwook Jung
Rouchen Zhang
Mai The Vu
Hyunjoon Cho
author_sort Phan Huy Nam Anh
collection DOAJ
description The design and analysis of a new wave actuator for boats is presented in this paper. The wave actuator is installed beneath the boat hull and converts the hydrodynamic forces generated by rising waves on the boat into translational thrusting forces. The wave actuator consists of a flexible water tank, revolving springs, and inlet/outlet nozzles to enable passive wave-driven thrust generation without intermediate energy conversion. The compressed water in the tank of the wave actuator is expelled by the wave pressure exerted on the actuator, and the water thrust out of the nozzles propels the boat forward. The dynamics and hydrodynamics of the new wave actuator are newly modelled using second-order differential equations in this paper. The hydrodynamics of the boat with the wave actuator is mathematically analyzed, and the energy conversion capability of the wave actuator is analyzed. The results demonstrate that at a wave frequency of 0.3 Hz, the system achieves a cruising speed of 6.098 m/s and a high energy conversion efficiency of 67.9%. These findings highlight the actuator’s potential for efficient and sustainable marine propulsion in regular sea conditions.
format Article
id doaj-art-58c6a598e9c14828a193a5f92de8ca96
institution Kabale University
issn 2076-3417
language English
publishDate 2025-06-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Applied Sciences
spelling doaj-art-58c6a598e9c14828a193a5f92de8ca962025-08-20T03:32:27ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-06-011512675610.3390/app15126756Design and Study of a New Wave Actuator for a BoatPhan Huy Nam Anh0Hyeung-Sik Choi1Dongwook Jung2Rouchen Zhang3Mai The Vu4Hyunjoon Cho5Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Maritime and Ocean University, Busan 49112, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Maritime and Ocean University, Busan 49112, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Maritime and Ocean University, Busan 49112, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Maritime and Ocean University, Busan 49112, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Sejong University, Seoul 05006, Republic of KoreaSea Power Reinforcement Security Research Department, Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology, Busan 49111, Republic of KoreaThe design and analysis of a new wave actuator for boats is presented in this paper. The wave actuator is installed beneath the boat hull and converts the hydrodynamic forces generated by rising waves on the boat into translational thrusting forces. The wave actuator consists of a flexible water tank, revolving springs, and inlet/outlet nozzles to enable passive wave-driven thrust generation without intermediate energy conversion. The compressed water in the tank of the wave actuator is expelled by the wave pressure exerted on the actuator, and the water thrust out of the nozzles propels the boat forward. The dynamics and hydrodynamics of the new wave actuator are newly modelled using second-order differential equations in this paper. The hydrodynamics of the boat with the wave actuator is mathematically analyzed, and the energy conversion capability of the wave actuator is analyzed. The results demonstrate that at a wave frequency of 0.3 Hz, the system achieves a cruising speed of 6.098 m/s and a high energy conversion efficiency of 67.9%. These findings highlight the actuator’s potential for efficient and sustainable marine propulsion in regular sea conditions.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/12/6756wave actuatorhydrodynamic forceswave energy conversion
spellingShingle Phan Huy Nam Anh
Hyeung-Sik Choi
Dongwook Jung
Rouchen Zhang
Mai The Vu
Hyunjoon Cho
Design and Study of a New Wave Actuator for a Boat
Applied Sciences
wave actuator
hydrodynamic forces
wave energy conversion
title Design and Study of a New Wave Actuator for a Boat
title_full Design and Study of a New Wave Actuator for a Boat
title_fullStr Design and Study of a New Wave Actuator for a Boat
title_full_unstemmed Design and Study of a New Wave Actuator for a Boat
title_short Design and Study of a New Wave Actuator for a Boat
title_sort design and study of a new wave actuator for a boat
topic wave actuator
hydrodynamic forces
wave energy conversion
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/12/6756
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AT dongwookjung designandstudyofanewwaveactuatorforaboat
AT rouchenzhang designandstudyofanewwaveactuatorforaboat
AT maithevu designandstudyofanewwaveactuatorforaboat
AT hyunjooncho designandstudyofanewwaveactuatorforaboat