Meet NREL’s Wave Tank and Rapid Prototyping Process

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory advances water power technologies by leveraging its vast experience in cross-functional, integrated renewable energy research and development along with established validation and optimization capabilities and facilities. Its wave tank is an ocean-simulation tool that can validate small- to large-scale offshore technology, while its engineers and technicians assist with rapid prototyping and validating technology designs. Learn more  .

Transcript

00:00:03 The ocean is unpredictable. And testing marine energy technologies in open waters can be time consuming, unreliable, and unforgiving. That’s why the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s, or NREL, is developing high-quality testing and lab-based validation methods to improve outcomes before new device designs go into the water. Water power researchers are using NREL’s world-class facilities and the latest rapid prototyping techniques to take marine energy devices from design to wave tank prototype testing all in one place. Which means systems to be optimized and de-risked before open ocean testing.

00:00:43 Let’s dive in! Once a marine energy device concept is in hand, researchers work in the Composites Manufacturing Education and Technology Facility, or CoMET, using 3D printers and other composite manufacturing methods to build prototypes for testing and validation. Across the road in the Sea Wave Environmental Lab, or SWEL, it's time for prototypes to meet the water! Using the wave tank, researchers can generate regular and irregular ocean conditions in a controlled environment and gather data on how the device performs. They can make changes based on the results, manufacture a new prototype, and head back to the wave tank to validate their improved design, allowing for a flexible, customizable,

00:01:27 and concise process to get water power technologies ready for further development and eventual commercialization. NREL’s water power facilities and capabilities give researchers, developers, and partners the chance to validate concepts, gather important data, and lower the risks for open-water testing. Discover how you can partner with NREL!