• International Journal of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.86-101
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• 2021

This study examined the effects of buoy shape and Nonlinear Froude-Krylov force (NFK) on a heaving-buoy-type Wave Energy Converter (WEC). Based on the Maclaurin expansion, the theoretical solutions of the NFK were derived for three different buoy shapes; hemispheric buoy, circular vertical cylinder, and truncated conical cylinder. A hydraulic power take-off system was adopted, and the latching control strategy was applied to maximize the extracted power from the WEC. The nonlinear effects of the Froude-Krylov force and restoring force on the heaving point absorber were investigated by comparing the heave Response Amplitude Operator (RAO) and time-averaged power extraction. The results showed that the conventional linear analyses were overestimated by up to 50% under the high amplitude wave condition. The latching control strategy was the most effective when peak wave period of regular or irregular wave was 0.4-0.45 times the heave natural period of the buoy.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.191-198
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• 2015

In this study, we proposed a new type of dual-buoy wave energy converter (WEC) exploiting multi-resonance and analyzed the experimental results from a model test in a 2-D wave flume. A dual-buoy WEC using multi-resonance has two advantages: high efficiency at the resonant frequencies and the potential to extend the frequency range available to extract wave power from the WEC. The suggested WEC was composed of an outer buoy and an inner buoy sliding vertically inside the outer buoy. As the power take-off device, a linear electric generator (LEG) consisting of permanent magnets and coils fixed at each buoy was adopted. Electricity was produced by the relative heave motion between the two buoys. To search for the optimal shape of a dual-buoy WEC, we conducted experiments on the heave motion of a two-body system in regular waves without an LEG installed. Model tests with six combinations of experimental models were conducted in order to find the motion characteristics of a dual-buoy WEC. It was found that model 2, which included a ring-shaped appendage to move the resonant frequency of the outer buoy toward a high value, showed a higher relative heave response amplitude operator (RAO) curve than model 1. In addition, the double-peak shape of the heave RAO curve shown for model 2 indicated the extension of the frequency range for extracting wave power in irregular waves.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Fisheries and Ocean Technology
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.290-298
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• 2016

This study aims to reduce the force exerted to the buoy of the gillnet by wave and current. Five buoy models were selected for experiments and their rope tensions under wave and current action were compared. Five models were EL (ellipsoid), EL-H (ellipsoid-hole), SL (streamlined body), SP (sphere) and CL (cylinder, traditional type). In the first experiment, the Five models were tested without any attachment. In the second experiment, a flagpole was attached to each model. As a result, in the condition without flagpole, the tensions of four models with the exception of the CL were about a half of that of the CL. In the condition with flagpole, the tension of all models was twice larger than that without flagpole. Thus, a new model was suggested to improve the problem, which has a combined body that of a flagpole and a buoy Three new models of CL-L (long and thin cylinder), LF (leaf shape) and LF-F (leaf shape with fin) were designed. Also a cylinder type (CLD) with a flagpole as a control was included in the experiment. As a result, the LF-F had the smallest tension and a half tension of the CLD. Therefore, it is supposed that the flagpole and buoy combined model could reduce the tension on buoy rope and contribute to improve the gillnet loss problem.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.66-76
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• 2020

A light buoy is equipped with lighting functions and navigation signs. Its shape and colors indicate the route to vessels sailing nearby in the daytime, with its lights providing this information at night. It also plays a role in notifying the presence of obstacles such as reefs and shallows. When a light buoy operates in the ocean, the visibility and angle of light from the lantern installed on the buoy changes, which may cause them to function improperly. Therefore, it is necessary for the buoy to have stable and minimal motions under given environmental conditions, mainly waves. In this study, motion analyses for a newly developed lightweight light-buoy in waves were performed to predict the motion performance and determine the effect of the developed appendages for improving the motion performance. First, free decay tests, including benchmark cases, were performed using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to estimate the viscous damping coefficients, which could not be obtained using potential-based simulations. A comparison was made of the results from potential-based simulations with and without considering viscous damping coefficients, which were estimated using CFD. It was confirmed that the pitch and heave motions of the buoy became smaller when the developed appendages were adopted.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.189-196
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• 1997

An oil tracking system that monitors the spilt oil trajectory by using GPS was developed. The system consists of a tracking buoy deployed on the oil spilt area and an onshore(or onboard) monitoring station. The tracking buoy is equipped with GPS, signal converter, handy radio and battery while the monitoring station includes a station radio, signal converter, antennas and PC. The hull shape of buoy is designed to effectively simulate the spilt oil movement at sea surface. Radio sets for HAM are used as a data transmitter and a data receiving station, and signal converter is also for amateur use. A field experiment was conducted and it was shown that the integrated system is relable and robust. The developed oil tracking system reveals reatively good performance at reasonable cost. In favorable environment the system may communicate in the distance more than 50km.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.68-71
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• 1998

The egg structure and shape of the skin parasite, Entobdella hippoglossi from the Atlantic halibut, Hippoglossus hippoglossus was examined using scanning electronic microscope. The newly produced eggs of E. hippoglossi were yellowish in color and tetrahedral in shape. The eggs were entwined together in a complicated chain-like fashion by a long filament. The appendage showed the presence of buoy-like structures. The buoy-like structures on the appendage of the eggs of E. hippoglossi in the present study were totally different from other sticky droplets. It is suggested that these structures are not sticky droplets but buoys for floating eggs which have entwined together on the bottom of the sea. It seems that these buoy-like structures may be needed for preventing the eggs from being covered by mud or particles and thus maintaining the eggs in an oxygenated environment.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Fisheries and Ocean Technology
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.233-243
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• 2014

The difference of mooring tension by type of buoy was investigated in the circulating water channel and the wave tank for deducting the most stable buoy from the current and the wave condition. 5 types of buoy made up of short cylinder laid vertically (CL-V), short cylinder laid horizontally (CL-H), capsule (CS), sphere (SP) and long cylinder (CL-L) were used for experiments. A mooring line and a weight were connected with each buoy. A tensile gauge was installed between a mooring line and a weight. All buoy's mooring tension was measured at the same time for the wave test with periods of 1.5~3.0 sec and wave heights of 0.1~0.3 m, and the current test with flow speeds of 0.2~1.0 m/sec. As a result, the order of tension value in the wave test was CL-H > CL-V > SP > CS > CL-L. In the current test CL-V and CL-H were recorded in the largest tension value, whereas SP has the smallest tension value. So it seems that SP buoy is the most effective in the location affected by fast current. CS is predicted to be suitable for a location that influence of wave is important more than that of current if practical use in the field is considered. And it was found that the difference of mooring tension among buoys in wave is related to the product of the cross sectional area and the drag coefficient for the buoy's bottom side in high wave height. The factor for the current condition was not found. But it was supposed to be related to complex factors like a dimension and a shape by buoy's posture to flow.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Fisheries and Ocean Technology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.275-284
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• 1997

This experiment was carried out to measure the sinking depth of each buoy, the change in the net shape of the net, and the tension of sand bag line according to the R (from bag net to the fish court) and L (from fish court to the bag net) current directions and their velocity by the model experiment. The model net was one-fiftieth of the real net, and its size was determined after considering the Tauti’s Similarity Law and the dimension of the experimental tank. 1. The changes of the net shape were as follows : In the current R, the end net of fish court moved 20mm down the lowerward tide and 10mm upper part. So the whole model net moved up at 0.2m/sec. The shape of the net showed an almost linear state from bag net to the fish court at 0.6m/sec. In the current L, the door net moved 242mm down the lowerward tide and 18mm upper part. So the whole model net moved up at 0.2m/sec. The net shape showed an almost linear state from the fish court to the bag net at 0.5m/sec. 2. The sinking depths of each buoy were as follows: In the current R, the head buoy started sinking at 0.2m/sec and sank 20mm, 99mm at 0.3m/sec and 0.6m/sec, respectively. The end buoy didn't sink from 0m/sec to 0.6m/sec but showed a slight quake. In the current L, the end buoy started sinking at 0.1m/sec, and sank 5mm and 108mm at 0.2m/sec and 0.6m/sec, respectively. The whole model net sank at 0.5m/sec except the head buoy. 3. The changes of the sand bag line tension were as follows: In the current R, the tension affected by the sand bag line of the head buoy showed 273.51g at 0.1m/sec increased to 1298.40g at 0.6m/sec. In the current L, the tension affected by the sand bag line of the end buoy on one side showed 137.08g at 0.1m/sec increased to 646.00g at 0.6m/sec. The changes in the sand bag line tension were concentrated on the sand bag line of the upperward tide with increasing velocity at the R and L current directions. However, no significant increase in tension was observed in the other sand bag lines.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.645-651
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• 2012

In this paper, we propose a new method for stabilizing the image captured from a camera mounted on a buoy robot. In this study, in order to solve the problem of cumulative errors and noise produced by a general gyro sensor measuring the orientation angle of the buoy robot, we propose new method for stabilizing the image. In this method, image processing techniques are combined with a newly designed target mounting mechanism that adapts to wave fluctuations. New target extraction and angle estimation techniques are introduced, along with the new mounting mechanism used for the camera and the target, which produce a stabilized image even if the buoy robot is on fluctuating waves.

• International Journal of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.513-528
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• 2013

A floating Oscillating Water Column (OWC) wave energy converter, a Backward Bent Duct Buoy (BBDB), was simulated using a state-of-the-art, two-dimensional, fully-nonlinear Numerical Wave Tank (NWT) technique. The hydrodynamic performance of the floating OWC device was evaluated in the time domain. The acceleration potential method, with a full-updated kernel matrix calculation associated with a mode decomposition scheme, was implemented to obtain accurate estimates of the hydrodynamic force and displacement of a freely floating BBDB. The developed NWT was based on the potential theory and the boundary element method with constant panels on the boundaries. The mixed Eulerian-Lagrangian (MEL) approach was employed to capture the nonlinear free surfaces inside the chamber that interacted with a pneumatic pressure, induced by the time-varying airflow velocity at the air duct. A special viscous damping was applied to the chamber free surface to represent the viscous energy loss due to the BBDB's shape and motions. The viscous damping coefficient was properly selected using a comparison of the experimental data. The calculated surface elevation, inside and outside the chamber, with a tuned viscous damping correlated reasonably well with the experimental data for various incident wave conditions. The conservation of the total wave energy in the computational domain was confirmed over the entire range of wave frequencies.