Finavera

The AquaBuOY

The AquaBuOY is a floating buoy structure that converts the kinetic energy of the vertical motion of oncoming waves into clean electricity.

The AquaBuOY is categorized as a point absorber, defined as having a small dimension in relation to the longer wave length in which it is operating. It utilizes a cylindrical buoy as the displacer and the reactor is a large water mass enclosed by a long vertical tube underneath the buoy.

A Finavera power plant is modular that can be scaled from a small cluster of AquaBuOYs to hundreds of buoys combined into arrays of desired power output from a few hundred kilowatts to several hundred megawatts. Finavera power plants are designed to supply clean electricity to large population centers. They are suitable as distributed generation to coastal communities and load balancing at isolated transmission points. The system is comprised of components that have been proven in other marine industries for decades.

The AquaBuOY Consists of Four Elements:

• Buoy
• Acceleration Tube
• Piston
• Hose Pump

The Acceleration Tube and Piston

The acceleration tube is a vertical, hollow cylinder rigidly mounted under the body of the buoy. The tube is open in both ends so seawater can pass unimpeded back and forth, forcing the piston to move, and in turn extend or compress the hose pumps. Positioned at the midpoint of the acceleration tube is the piston, a broad, neutrally buoyant disk. When the buoy is at rest, the piston is held at the midpoint by the balanced tension of two hose pumps that are attached to opposite sides of the piston and extend to the top and bottom of the acceleration tube, respectively.

The Hose-Pump

The hose-pump is a steel reinforced rubber hose whose internal volume is reduced when the hose is stretched, thereby acting as a pump. The pressurized sea water is subsequently expelled into a high-pressure accumulator, and in turn fed to a turbine which drives a generator. Generated electricity is brought to shore via a standard submarine cable.

Power Take Off System

These three elements, the acceleration tube, the piston, and the hose pumps constitute the Power Take Off system (PTO).