oscillating water column
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GC: n

CT: An oscillating water column uses a large volume of moving water as a piston in a cylinder. Air is forced out of the column as a wave rises and fresh air is drawn in as the wave falls. This movement of air turns a weir turbine at the top of the column.

S: http://owcwaveenergy.weebly.com/ (last access: 23 February 2015)

N: 1. Oscillating Water Columns (OWCs) are simple constructions that act like a piston and cylinder. As waves rise within the OWC, it replicates the action of a piston, driving a column of air ahead of it and through the turbine.
2. The oscillating water column (OWC) concept is probably unique among the myriad systems proposed for extracting power from ocean waves in that it is the only technology where a key part of the system can be seen as a naturally occurring structure. An OWC comprises two key elements: a collector chamber, which takes power from the waves and transfers it to the air within the chamber, and a power take off (PTO) system, which converts the pneumatic power into electricity or some other usable form.

S: 1. http://www.oceanlinx.com/technology/how-it-works (last access: 23 February 2015). 2. http://rsta.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/roypta/370/1959/235.full.pdf (last access: 23 February 2015).

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CR: ocean wave energy, Wells turbine.