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UNIWAVE 200 model

Date2019

Object number00056435

NameUNIWAVE 200 Model

MediumPerspex, wood

DimensionsOverall: 880 x 1,500 x 860 mm, 60 kg

ClassificationsModels

Credit LineAustralian National Maritime Museum Collection gift from Wave Swell Energy, Ltd.

Terms

DescriptionThis 1:20 scale tank test model was used for the physical tests (wave to pneumatic power) and has a Perspex window on the side/s to view the rise and fall of the water in the wave tank/ship model basin. Uniwave200 has been installed offshore King Island, Tasmania since early 2021. It has proved the viability of the scale models by replicating the results achieved in research and design. The King Island unit has encountered this same range of wave conditions at full scale. HistoryThe UniWave200 is designed and developed to convert wave energy into electrical energy through the oscillating water column (OWC) concept. A central chamber is open to the sea. As water rises within this chamber, it is vented to the atmosphere. As the water level falls when the wave recedes, the vents close and air is then sucked through a turbine at the top to generate electricity. Wave Swell Energy conducted tank tests of the Uniwave200 concept at the Launceston campus of the Australian Maritime College. The AMC model tests, conducted at the institution’s test tank facilities in Launceston, provide a detailed matrix of pneumatic power production across a range of different combinations of model scale wave height and period. These included scale model tests for: - wave to pneumatic power (physical model) - pneumatic to mechanical power (turbine tests) - mechanical to grid power (electrical model) SignificanceThe Australian National Maritime Museum’s collection of contemporary science and technology objects does not currently include any objects that speak to the growing Australian ocean energy sector, in particular objects that help to illustrate the use of wind, wave and tidal energy.
Wave energy could contribute up to eleven percent of Australia’s total energy needs by 2050 (CSIRO 2022). Tasmania is seen as a leader in this field, due in no small part to the presence of the CSIRO, Australian Maritime College and the conditions present in offshore Tasmanian islands. In particular, the conditions at King Island are considered most suitable for trial operations in generation of wave energy, where the award-winning (Ocean Impact Organisation 2020- 2nd place) UNIWAVE 200 is currently conducting trial operations.