A regular swell of period carries an energy flux of of crest

PHYSICS · Subjective · Fermi University Physics · Oscillations, Waves & Acoustics · Earth, Climate & Energy Physics · Wave motion, the wave equation and wave energy

Energy from Physics, Ch Natural energy flows: rotors, turbines, waves, channels and hot rock

Problem

A regular swell of period

T = 8\,\mathrm{s}

carries an energy flux of

30\,\mathrm{kW\,m^{-1}}

of crest. A heaving buoy absorbs energy only by its vertical motion (no surge). Using the deep-water wavelength

\lambda_w = gT^2/2\pi

and the heave-only capture-width limit

w_c \le \lambda_w/2\pi

, find the largest capture width and the largest power such a buoy could in principle absorb from this sea.

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