Mocean Energy's model Blue Horizon wave energy machine undergoes testing at FloWave
Mocean Energy has successfully tested 3D-printed scale models of its 250kW Blue Horizon wave energy converter at the FloWave wave basin, thanks to funding from the EuropeWave programme.
During the eight-day testing campaign, 1/25 and 1/50 scale models of the device, created by FloWave using an advanced 3D printer, were tested in the facility’s tanks. Located at the University of Edinburgh, the FloWave test facility is able to generate representative sea states for both of EuropeWave’s open-sea test sites – the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney and the Biscay Marine Energy Platform (BiMEP) in Spain.
Blue Horizon is a mid-scale wave energy converter designed to deliver power to remote and island communities. This new 250kW design is a much bigger machine than Mocean’s original Blue X, measuring 2.5 times longer and generating 25 times as much power.
According to Mocean, the purpose of the testing campaign was to validate their numerical models and the hydrodynamic performance of the new 250kW design. This test programme allowed them to further refine and validate their models, looking specifically at optimum power production and survivability of the Blue Horizon in the actual sea states it could experience at the BiMEP or EMEC test sites.
