Wave stead

User:wesley_Bruce/Wave_steads

Description.

Wave steads sit on a pair of salter ducks. The ducks are buoys with an elliptical cross-section, egg shaped but long like a cylinder. The ducks can rotate converting the vertical forces of the waves into torque on an axle. The axle would be like a large truck axle with a suspension perhaps. The result is that the forces of the waves are damped and turned into energy, mostly pumped water. The sea area behind the wave stead would be flatter because the wave stead has absorbed some of the energy. Wave steads could be linked together. The forces on the ducks don't transfer to the decks so mooring loads are reduced. Wavepower_breakwaters

Detail

• Material issues - Structural metal and/or composite design. The ducks plastic coated rebar in Ferrocement with foam in the cavities. The sea stead can be any of the materials described for the upper decks of the towers.
• Bearing would need to be sea water lubricated plastic but that's not a new material.

Requirements Analysis

• Safety
  • Basically square and so should be very stable
  • The ducks would be foam filled so essentially unsinkable
  • There are some active systems and controls needed so there is a chance of that going wrong but we can automate and centralise the control processes.
  • Not clear how we make boats inside safe during hurricanes

• Comfort
  • Should have a gentle motion on normal days but significant response to large waves.

• Cost
  • Depends on size and how cheap we can make the bearings and energy systems. Wave power industry is doing that for us.

• Pretty
  • Looks nice. Looks like a normal rectilinear building.

• Modular
  • very modular with standardisation of the ducks and decks above.

• Cargo
  • Area behind the wave stead has a flatter sea there's ample power from the integral wave energy to drive actively stabilised cargo transfer cranes and even hoist smaller boats out of the water.

• Free Floating
  • Yes The original Salters Duck was moored in coastal water but the structural deck holds the ducks in place. Mooring to the deep sea bed may not be needed if some of the wave energy is used to drive attached electric propellers.

• Scalable
  • yes; Two or three rows of ducks can be used under a large deck. these can be linked linearly to form long breakwaters Behind the third row of ducks the sea may be steady enough for sea steads resting on simple floats rather than the more expensive ducks.

• Standards

• Mobile
  • Limited the ducks are low drag hulls on their long axis but high drag if pulled in at a right angle to the ducks long axis. It could be towed or self propelled. If the ducks are driven they may 'paddle' through the ocean.

• Draft
  • Half wave amplitude or more.

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--203.173.6.59 14:13, 23 July 2008 (UTC)