An Early Design Phase Method for Characterizing and Comparing Wave Energy Converter Archetypes

Wave energy converters (WECs) hold promise for powering blue economy applications, but their success relies on their ability to survive in the highly energetic ocean climate. Existing approaches for understanding WEC functional benefits often occur during detailed design, which can lead to crucial...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Aeron Roach, Moira Meek, Raza Ali, Bryony DuPont, Bryson Roberston
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: European Wave and Tidal Energy Conference 2025-06-01
Series:International Marine Energy Journal
Subjects:
Online Access:https://marineenergyjournal.org/imej/article/view/223
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849422466587295744
author Aeron Roach
Moira Meek
Raza Ali
Bryony DuPont
Bryson Roberston
author_facet Aeron Roach
Moira Meek
Raza Ali
Bryony DuPont
Bryson Roberston
author_sort Aeron Roach
collection DOAJ
description Wave energy converters (WECs) hold promise for powering blue economy applications, but their success relies on their ability to survive in the highly energetic ocean climate. Existing approaches for understanding WEC functional benefits often occur during detailed design, which can lead to crucial functional decisions based on archetype selection rather than design goals. This paper presents a methodology that leverages functional decomposition for identifying high-level overlaps between WEC archetypes during early design stages. Functional decomposition is a method for analyzing complex systems and tracking energy, information, and material flows. We apply this method to seven fully submerged WEC archetypes. This process provides helpful information for understanding the necessary functions of a submerged WEC. The methodology and case study results will help communities advance their efforts to combat climate change by selecting the best device for their application and location in the blue economy. Better identifying functional overlaps between WEC archetypes will help researchers and developers generate effective designs that build resilient coastal communities.
format Article
id doaj-art-e5bfb507d67c425684bcb10dfe50430a
institution Kabale University
issn 2631-5548
language English
publishDate 2025-06-01
publisher European Wave and Tidal Energy Conference
record_format Article
series International Marine Energy Journal
spelling doaj-art-e5bfb507d67c425684bcb10dfe50430a2025-08-20T03:31:06ZengEuropean Wave and Tidal Energy ConferenceInternational Marine Energy Journal2631-55482025-06-018210.36688/imej.8.127-137An Early Design Phase Method for Characterizing and Comparing Wave Energy Converter ArchetypesAeron Roach0Moira MeekRaza Ali1Bryony DuPont2Bryson Roberston3Oregon State UniversityOregon State UniversityOregon State UniversityOregon State University Wave energy converters (WECs) hold promise for powering blue economy applications, but their success relies on their ability to survive in the highly energetic ocean climate. Existing approaches for understanding WEC functional benefits often occur during detailed design, which can lead to crucial functional decisions based on archetype selection rather than design goals. This paper presents a methodology that leverages functional decomposition for identifying high-level overlaps between WEC archetypes during early design stages. Functional decomposition is a method for analyzing complex systems and tracking energy, information, and material flows. We apply this method to seven fully submerged WEC archetypes. This process provides helpful information for understanding the necessary functions of a submerged WEC. The methodology and case study results will help communities advance their efforts to combat climate change by selecting the best device for their application and location in the blue economy. Better identifying functional overlaps between WEC archetypes will help researchers and developers generate effective designs that build resilient coastal communities. https://marineenergyjournal.org/imej/article/view/223functional decompositionsubmerged wave energy converterengineering designarchetype comparison
spellingShingle Aeron Roach
Moira Meek
Raza Ali
Bryony DuPont
Bryson Roberston
An Early Design Phase Method for Characterizing and Comparing Wave Energy Converter Archetypes
International Marine Energy Journal
functional decomposition
submerged wave energy converter
engineering design
archetype comparison
title An Early Design Phase Method for Characterizing and Comparing Wave Energy Converter Archetypes
title_full An Early Design Phase Method for Characterizing and Comparing Wave Energy Converter Archetypes
title_fullStr An Early Design Phase Method for Characterizing and Comparing Wave Energy Converter Archetypes
title_full_unstemmed An Early Design Phase Method for Characterizing and Comparing Wave Energy Converter Archetypes
title_short An Early Design Phase Method for Characterizing and Comparing Wave Energy Converter Archetypes
title_sort early design phase method for characterizing and comparing wave energy converter archetypes
topic functional decomposition
submerged wave energy converter
engineering design
archetype comparison
url https://marineenergyjournal.org/imej/article/view/223
work_keys_str_mv AT aeronroach anearlydesignphasemethodforcharacterizingandcomparingwaveenergyconverterarchetypes
AT moirameek anearlydesignphasemethodforcharacterizingandcomparingwaveenergyconverterarchetypes
AT razaali anearlydesignphasemethodforcharacterizingandcomparingwaveenergyconverterarchetypes
AT bryonydupont anearlydesignphasemethodforcharacterizingandcomparingwaveenergyconverterarchetypes
AT brysonroberston anearlydesignphasemethodforcharacterizingandcomparingwaveenergyconverterarchetypes
AT aeronroach earlydesignphasemethodforcharacterizingandcomparingwaveenergyconverterarchetypes
AT moirameek earlydesignphasemethodforcharacterizingandcomparingwaveenergyconverterarchetypes
AT razaali earlydesignphasemethodforcharacterizingandcomparingwaveenergyconverterarchetypes
AT bryonydupont earlydesignphasemethodforcharacterizingandcomparingwaveenergyconverterarchetypes
AT brysonroberston earlydesignphasemethodforcharacterizingandcomparingwaveenergyconverterarchetypes