Essentially Rubber – Wave power

Leading-edge designs and applications showing how elastomer materials contribute to all aspects of life and lifestyle in the 21st century:

Inverness-based AWS Ocean Energy is employing Trelleborg technology in a submerged wave-power buoy, being tested near the Orkney Islands, off the north coast of Scotland. The 10m tall, 3.8m wide Archimedes Waveswing sits 3m under the surface of the sea and reacts to changes in subsea water pressure caused by passing waves: converting motion in the structure to electricity via a direct-drive generator. The system can be deployed in depths of 25m or more, be integrated into submerged platforms, and scale up to 500kW per unit. Trelleborg’s bespoke rubber membrane helps protect and seal a part of the Waveswing. The cord-reinforced rubber construction absorbs internal-pressure forces and helps prevent seawater from getting into generators.