Wave-tank testing and experimental validation
Physical testing has been used to evaluate, refine and validate the hydraulic and structural principles behind Pliosaur Energy's combined wave- and tidal-energy platform.
Experimental development
Testing the turbine under controlled conditions
Preliminary wave-tank testing was performed in 2016 at the Plymouth University Ocean Basin facilities.
Following analysis of the resulting data, it was decided that additional wave-tank testing was required to optimise the turbine design before detailed design could commence.
A further testing programme was completed in February 2019 at the HR Wallingford facility in Oxfordshire, UK.
The successful completion of this programme led to a press release announcing a breakthrough in the development of a turbine capable of converting both wave and tidal energy.
Design development
How testing informed the turbine design
The testing programme resulted in significant changes intended to improve tidal-energy performance.
These changes included elevating the rotor axle height, lengthening the turbine blades and adding a base plate.
The revised arrangement brought the tidal aspect of the design closer to the floating-waterwheel principles investigated through HYLOW, a research project coordinated by the University of Southampton and funded by the European Union under its Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) between 2008 and 2012.
A significant breakthrough came when Pliosaur combined its patented technology with established floating-waterwheel principles informed by HYLOW research. This brought together wave-energy conversion, tidal-energy conversion and ocean clean-up within a single platform, using one rotor to harness both energy sources while incorporating a system to recover floating marine debris, including plastic.
Research foundations
Building on HYLOW and Wave Dragon
From a wave-energy perspective, the underlying operating principle remained unchanged following the testing programme.
Performance data developed at Aalborg University and applied through the Wave Dragon project remain relevant to assessing the wave-energy performance of Pliosaur's overtopping system.
HYLOW provides a separate research foundation for the tidal-energy aspect of the design, including the interaction between the rotor, surrounding flow and supporting floating structure. The EU-funded programme investigated modern floating free-stream energy converters, with its findings documented in publicly available technical research.
The underlying floating-watermill principle predates HYLOW by centuries. Traditional ship mills, such as those documented at Minden, Germany , used waterwheels supported between floating structures to extract energy from river currents. Ship mills were recorded at Minden as early as 1326, while the present reconstruction dates from 1998.
The Minden example demonstrates that the fundamental floating-watermill arrangement is an established engineering principle rather than an invention originating with HYLOW. Pliosaur's innovation lies in its patented integration of wave-energy conversion, tidal-energy conversion and marine debris recovery within a single platform.
View EU HYLOW research report
Integrated operation
Integrating wave energy, tidal energy and ocean clean-up
Pliosaur's patented design builds upon the established principles investigated through HYLOW and Wave Dragon, combining wave- and tidal-energy conversion with ocean clean-up capabilities in one integrated platform.
A single rotor is designed to generate electricity from wave energy, tidal energy or a combination of both.
The platform also incorporates a debris-collection system designed to intercept floating waste, including plastic, before it enters the overtopping reservoir. Collected material can then be removed by operators.
By integrating these three functions, Pliosaur aims to generate renewable electricity while supporting practical ocean clean-up, creating the potential for energy revenues to help fund the recovery of marine waste.
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