Kinowave

What it does

Kinowave converts ocean waves into electricity using novel interconnected fluid-filled cylinders, addressing the challenge of complex permanent structures and inefficient power take-off systems in wave energy extraction.

Your inspiration

The inspiration for Kinowave stemmed from recognizing the untapped potential of India's 41,300 MW ocean wave energy and the challenge of creating relative motion between wave extractors and ocean waves. The solution was inspired by Pascal's law and ancient water levelling devices used in construction, illustrating how water maintains a consistent level in interconnected tubes regardless of movement. This principle was validated through experiments with floating tubes in a wave tank, successfully demonstrating the generation of relative motion needed for energy extraction.

How it works

Kinowave is a wave energy platform based on Pascal's law, inspired by ancient water leveling devices used in construction. This principle ensures that water within interconnected tubes maintains a constant level, regardless of movement. In our design, a platform consisting of vertical tanks connected with flexible tubes floats on the ocean. Due to waves, the tanks move up and down, causing the internal fluid to adjust and level itself. This motion between the fluid inside the tank and the tank surface creates dynamic linear motion. The energy from this movement is captured using various power take-off mechanisms, including floats, single-point absorbers, and highly efficient Wells turbines. This innovative approach allows Kinowave to convert the kinetic energy of ocean waves into electricity efficiently, without the need for complex permanent structures or mooring systems, making it an adaptable solution for harnessing ocean wave energy.

Design process

Firstly, our goal was to create a concept that didn’t rely on any permanent structure for energy extraction. Inspired by ancient water leveling devices, we developed our initial concept. Our first prototype was a simple setup using plastic bottles connected with tubes to observe the concept. This initial test showed promise but revealed slow water flow rates between the tanks. Calculations indicated that the diameters of the tank and the connecting tube needed to be the same for efficient water movement. With this insight, we constructed a new prototype using same-diameter tanks and tubes. This setup worked perfectly. We then improved the design using better-calculated floats and tanks. This prototype used floats as a power take-off mechanism, but efficiency was low. Meanwhile, dry testing our device showed an efficiency of over 65%, surpassing many existing wave energy generators. We then tested the prototype in a real ocean environment, where it performed well. Conversations with wave energy companies like Mocean, highlighted the importance of efficient power take-off systems. We researched Wells turbines and found them highly efficient. Currently, we have tested the Wells turbine in a mini tank and are extracting data to validate its efficiency.

How it is different

Traditional wave energy converters require permanent structures or mooring to the seabed, which is costly and complex. Our unique design harnesses the relative motion between interconnected fluid-filled tanks floating on ocean waves, eliminating the need for mooring or permanent structures and significantly reducing costs. Additionally, the power take-off mechanism is a crucial differentiator. Many wave energy platforms, like Pelamis, use hydraulic systems that are inefficient, and costly. Kinowave supports various power take-off mechanisms, including the highly efficient Wells turbines, which maximize energy conversion from wave motion to electricity. By combining an innovative design that eliminates the need for complex and costly infrastructure with an efficient power take-off system, Kinowave offers a scalable, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly solution for harnessing ocean wave energy compared to traditional wave energy converters.

Future plans

We are excited to have been selected for the Cleantech Innovation Program at the Dyson School of Design Engineering, Imperial College London, among 25 worldwide. With support from the world-class Grantham Institute, we aim to test our prototype with the Wells turbine in the wave flume tank and create a clear validation report. Our plan is to fabricate a 100-watt prototype and, after further validation and testing with experts from the Dyson School and Imperial College, install the prototype in real ocean conditions to test its reliability. Our goal is to scale it up to 10 kW, which can power five homes, within the next two years.

Awards

Breakthrough Energy Applicant 2024 Project Represented at United People Global 2024 and FXB Climate Advocate 2024 MIT Energy Prize Participant 2023 Finalist of Cult Innovator Award 2023 by CII Winner of Himalayan Startup Trek 2022 at IIT Mandi Finalist of EDII Hackathon 2022Pre-incubated at BITS Pilani Goa Campus 2022