Progress:

Progress-to-Date

• SurfPower was created by Seawood Designs in 2003
• A U.S. patent application was filed in 2004
• U.S. patent 7,042,112 B2 issued Spring 2005
• June 2005 – a 1:22 scale model of the pontoon was tested in Lake Huron, Ontario Canada; the pontoon behaved as anticipated. The test rig provided a means to record mechanical energy recovery from the waves over extended periods (up to one hour); the maximum power in one run exceeded 4W – obviously a trivial amount of power, however this is equivalent to 321 kW that would be delivered to the grid for a full sized SurfPower pontoon, operating in 5-12 foot waves.
• July 2005, a patent application was filed in the United Kingdom
• September 2009, extensive dynamic computer modelling of SurfPower was undertaken by Dynamic Systems Analysis (enabled by NRC-IRAP funding)
• October 2009, United Kingdom patent, GB2428747 was issued
• Summer 2009 - A preliminary design of all pump components was created as a computer solid model.
• May 2010 - in collaboration with the National Research Council’s Institute for Ocean Technology in St. John’s, Newfoundland wave tank trials were conducted with a 1:10 linear scale SurfPower model (much larger than the Lake Huron model). The test pontoon was nominally 4 feet square with a thickness of 5". The Institute of Ocean Technology successfully undertook the testing in their Offshore Engineering Basin. The SurfPower model incorporated all of the components required in a full scale system. It pumped water under controlled pressure to simulate operation pumping to a collection main. Testing more accurately determined energy recovery from a range of representative wave heights and confirmed system dynamic behaviour when the pontoon was overtopped by simulated 7 meter storm waves. Performance data confirmed that the previously undertaken, dynamic computer modelling accurately predicted dynamic behaviour.

Click here to see a SurfPower 1:10 scale model operating in simulated 7 meter seas.

	Inventor, Charles Wood with SurfPower 1:10 scale model holding slender, streamlined long stroke pump with pressure control valve at the base that simulates pumping to a high pressure collection main. click image to enlarge
	SurfPower 1:10 scale model being lowered into Institute for Ocean Engineering wave tank. click image to enlarge

Next Steps

• Continue with computer modelling to further investigate strategies designed to improve energy recovery and survival in breaking waves.
• Design, build, and test a full scale pontoon/pump for 12 months to establish energy recovery performance and highlight any operational/maintainability issues.  Completion of this test program will lead to construction of full commercial systems with a high level of confidence.