Grant: College and Community Innovation Program

The project aims at building a second generation prototype of the wave pump developed recently by our teamof researchers. The first of its kind in Canada, this simple yet innovative device is meant for pumping sea waterto on shore locations for a variety of applications; including aquaculture, power generation, desalination, airconditioning, etc. The device has received favorable reviews from several national and international groupssuch as Canadian Geographic, Journal of Ocean Technology, etc.The completion of the first generation prototype in 2007 was a trial, based on the minimal theory andmathematical approximations available. A prototype (1/4 scale, 5Ls-1) pump has been built and is undergoingfield testing at Lord's Cove NL. In addition, a 1/16 scale model has been built for laboratory testing at NRC'sInstitute for Ocean Technology in St. John's NL. The laboratory tests and field trials of the first prototype,showed encouraging results, identifying as well, certain imperatives in design modifications.The development of a second generation prototype, through this proposed initiative, will focus on refining thedesign and addressing fabrication issues that surfaced in the first model. More specifically, we will be: (i)Developing a refined mathematical model of pump action under renewed set of observations (ii) Building amodified prototype in our workshops (iii) Planning a comprehensive testing protocol for laboratory and fieldtrials (iv) Perform an economic analysis on the commercialization of the technology, forecasting future benefitsof this renewable energy device for on-shore communities.The project's main site will be the Burin Campus of College of the North Atlantic. Laboratory test will beconducted at the NRC Institute of Ocean Technologies St. John's NL. Field trails are planned at our test site inLord's Cove, NL. The research is a cooperative venture comprising of the College, community groups, andindustry partners.