Proof of Concept: wave energized baltic aeration pump (WEBAP)

The Wave Energized Baltic Aeration Pump (WEBAP) is a concept that proposes to find a solution to the low level of oxygenation of the Baltic Sea by bringing the surface sea water to the depth where the oxygen is needed. It proposes to do so by using the rich in oxygen overtopping water collected in a reservoir floating on the sea. The stored water, after overtopping the ramp leading to the reservoir, will be at a higher level than mean water level and therefore will have a potential energy. This potential energy is indeed used to pump down to the sea bed the oxygenated water right there where it is needed.

In the following paragraphs, the desk study on the WEBAP concept is presented in terms of overtopping flow rates for different configurations. Investigations on different drafts, slope angles and crest levels have been completed. Calculations on the pipe discharge have been made in order to define the driving head. The results obtained are then used to realized the model in scale 1:25 to be tested in the Hydraulic and Costal Engineering Laboratory at Aalborg University, Denmark.