Flexible Wave Energy Converter
Surrogate FlexWEC design and underwater stereo DIC testing setup — in collaboration with NREL
// Front-on DIC view — surrogate FlexWEC in underwater testing tank, FASt Lab
Project Background
The National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) is developing flexible wave energy converters (FlexWECs) to harness ocean wave energy and convert it into electricity. To optimize performance, it's critical to accurately measure the deformation of these underwater flexible structures as they interact with waves.
FASt Lab collaborated with NREL to evaluate diagnostic methods for measuring underwater flexible object deformation — specifically Stereo Digital Image Correlation (DIC) and Videogrammetry.
// Surrogate FlexWEC — front view in testing tank
// Side view showing stereo DIC camera setup
Surrogate FlexWEC Design & Fabrication
I iteratively designed and fabricated a custom surrogate FlexWEC using off-the-shelf materials. The design used SolidWorks for 3D modeling and 3D printing for custom structural parts, which were assembled into a complete submerged test article with DIC speckle patterns applied to the surface.
Underwater Testing Setup
I co-developed the complete underwater testing setup for precise 3D deformation tracking using stereo DIC. This involved positioning stereo camera systems outside the tank, establishing proper lighting conditions through the water, and refining test protocols across multiple iterations.
This work validated the experimental approach and directly informed NREL's selection of measurement methods for future full-scale testing, laying the foundation for more advanced FlexWEC prototypes.