Reaction body for wave energy apparatus

摘要

The reaction body (1) is arranged to be selectively filled with air to a maximum buoyancy configuration and to be filled with water to a minimum buoyancy configuration when suspended from a float (2), the reaction body being movable in response to wave motion in the minimum buoyancy configuration to convert the movement to useful energy. The reaction body has at least one further preset buoyancy configuration between the respective maximum and minimum configurations and/or has an array of chambers which are airtight when filled with air but not watertight when filled with water. The generating apparatus preferably includes the reaction body and the float; an energy converter (4) for converting reciprocal movement between the reaction member and the float to useful energy; and the subsurface reaction body is preferably suspended from the float at a depth set by the length of the connecting line (3) in the minimum buoyancy configuration and floating on the surface of the body of water in the maximum buoyancy configuration. The subsurface reaction body typically includes an array of longitudinally extending bulkheads (11) and transversely extending bulkheads(11), the array being arranged to inhibit free flow of water through the subsurface reaction body.