The Anaconda WEC belongs to a new generation of wave-energy converters that are currently on their way to reach a pre-commercial stage. It consists of a long rubber tube that is designed to float head to waves. The tube is filled with water and its stern is connected to a power take-off system (PTO). As a result of the interactions with the incoming ocean waves, the tube conveys internal pressure bulges whose intensity grows in the direction of the PTO. A pneumatic system is considered herein, in which electrical energy can be produced from a turbo-generator set.

The present research focuses on the performance assessment of a free-floating Anaconda model with air-flow PTO. The results of a series of tests with a 1:50 scale physical model in wave-tank are presented and discussed. In this model the pneumatic chamber connects with the atmosphere through an orifice plate. Several calibrated orifices of different diameters have been tested. The tests were undertaken in regular waves that translate to waves of 7 to 14 seconds in full-scale. Pressure in the pneumatic chamber and the water-column oscillations in the shaft were monitored. They provide estimates of the extracted power and energy capture efficiency of the system.

One of the aims of the study is to account for the effects of compressibility on the power output of the system, as well as properly assessing the impact of scale effects upon performance estimates. The results, presented as a function of the wave frequency, are ultimately used to predict prototype performance.

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