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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

Arctic Deployment of a Fully Integrated Self-Powered Drifting Buoy Harvesting Wave Energy via a Triboelectric Nanogenerator

The Arctic Ocean remains one of the most poorly sampled regions on Earth, where improved in situ environmental monitoring is vital for advancing oceanographic and atmospheric studies. However, data collection efforts are constrained by the short operational lifespans and high costs of conventional systems. Drifting buoys powered by pendulum-driven wave energy harvesters offer a cost-effective alternative, yet earlier designs have neither been optimized for real-world wave conditions nor validated in the Arctic. In this study, we develop a self-powered drifting buoy that integrates a pendulum-driven triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) system with a mechanical motion rectifier, a high-gear-ratio transmission, and power management circuits. Through coupled buoy–pendulum dynamic simulations and laboratory testing using a motion simulator, we identify an optimal pendulum mass of 1.6 kg (12.7% of total buoy weight) that maximizes energy output while maintaining buoy stability. Laboratory experiments achieved average power outputs of 12.7 mW under Arctic-like wave and temperature conditions. The system was successfully deployed in the Bering Sea, where it generated 11 J of energy in 3.1 m waves, marking the first Arctic deployment of a TENG-based drifting buoy for sea surface temperature monitoring. This work establishes a cost-effective framework for designing self-powered Arctic monitoring platforms and advances the feasibility of long-term environmental observations in real Arctic waters.

marine enerby↗
DOE OSTI2026

Performance Evaluation of an Offshore Wave Measurement Buoy in Monochromatic Waves

The accurate measurement of waves underpins marine energy resource characterization, device design, and project development. Datawell wave buoys are widely deployed and have long served as a trusted standard for wave measurements. We quantify the measurement performance, including wave elevation and energy flux estimation, of a Datawell DWR-MkIII buoy using prescribed monochromatic heave motions on a large-amplitude six-degree-of-freedom motion platform at the National Laboratory of the Rockies, assuming the buoy behaves as an ideal wave follower. Commanded motions were validated with an optical motion tracking system while buoy elevation and raw acceleration were recorded. Wave elevations were propagated to wave energy flux estimation using four methods, including one frequency-domain method and three time-domain methods. The Bayesian optimization was applied for design of experiments, and records from three test sites were also applied and evaluated in the present study. Results show two error regions within the nominal period range of 1.6 s to 30 s. For wave periods between 5 s and 25 s, the buoy provides accurate wave height measurements. For short periods less than 5 s, the 1.28 Hz sampling frequency induces sub-Nyquist artifacts that bias elevation and can drive maximum energy flux estimation errors above 100%. For long periods exceeding 25 s, the buoy reported elevation is underpredicted with error depending on period but relatively independent of wave height, with maximum wave height and wave energy flux errors reaching 64% and 87%, respectively. Furthermore, analysis of three field-derived cases shows that frequency-domain estimates at 1.28 Hz agree within 2% of the corresponding 100 Hz estimates, while larger method-dependent differences are observed for the Hilbert method.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2026

Wave energy converter buoy for Arctic observations

Ocean observation buoys are currently powered-constrained by battery storage capacity or available solar power. Power constraints limit the number of measurements that can be made and the lifetime of the buoys. Ocean surface wave energy could be used for power production, but wave energy converters are not yet commercially available for ocean observation buoys. Here we present the design and testing of a drifting wave energy converter buoy using a pendulum transmission system (PTS). The wave energy converter buoy was designed to operate in Arctic temperatures and wave conditions, but it could be used in areas with warmer temperatures and larger waves. Field tests measured a maximum power production of 5 watts in waves with a significant wave height of 0.42 meters and a ten minute average power production of 37 milliwatts. Power production increased with the energy period and significant wave height. The energy harvesting capabilities of the PTS showed the utility of adding a wave energy conversion device to a drifting ocean observation buoy.

Arctic observations↗
DOE OSTI2024

NDBC Buoy 46026

The purpose of this dataset is to provide filtered, averaged buoy surface meteorological and oceanographic data and standardize the data format into NetCDF. The buoy was deployed by NDBC. These data are part of the observational database created for supporting the floating offshore wind project within the DOE-funded ORACLE project.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

WFIP3 Sentinel Buoy 3 / Raw Data

This dataset contains raw data collected by sentinel buoy 3 during the WFIP3 project period at the WFIP3 location. It was deployed from 3/14/2024 19:10Z to the present day, but stopped telemetering data on 4/17/2024 13:00Z.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

WFIP3 Sentinel Buoy 2 / Raw Data

This dataset contains raw data collected by sentinel buoy 2 during the WFIP3 project period at the WFIP3 location. It was deployed on 3/14/2024 15:35Z and is still currently deployed.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

WFIP3 Sentinel Buoy 4 / Raw Data

This dataset contains raw data collected by sentinel buoy 4 during the WFIP3 project period at the WFIP3 location. It was deployed on 3/14/2024 12:00Z and is still currently deployed.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

WFIP3 Sentinel Buoy 1 / Raw Data

This dataset contains processed data collected by sentinel buoy 1 during the WFIP3 project period at the WFIP3 location. It was deployed on 6/4/2024 16:35Z and is still currently deployed.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

WFIP3 Sentinel Buoy 1 / Raw Data

This dataset contains processed data collected by sentinel buoy 1 during the WFIP3 project period at the WFIP3 location. It was deployed on 6/4/2024 16:35Z and is still currently deployed.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

WFIP3 Lidar Buoy / Processed Data

This dataset contains 10-minute averaged data collected by the WHOI lidar buoy at the WFIP3 location. It was deployed on 2024/08/02 11:54Z and is still currently deployed.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Buoy 130 / Standardized Data

These are the standardized buoy data collected during the WFIP3 project period, initially deployed near the Martha's Vineyard region for validation and later deployed at the WFIP3 location. The NetCDF files contain the data for all of the *.csv files for a given day.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Buoy - Lidar / Processed Data

This dataset contains standardized data from DOE Buoy 140 deployed during WFIP3. *.csv10m.zip files have been converted to netCDF.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Buoy 140 / Processed Data

These are the standardized buoy data collected during the WFIP3 project period, initially deployed near the Martha's Vineyard region for validation and later deployed at the WFIP3 location. The NetCDF files contain the data for most of the *.csv files for a given day.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

WFIP3 Sentinel Buoy 5 / Raw Data

This dataset contains raw data collected by sentinel buoy 5 during the WFIP3 project period at the WFIP3 location. It was deployed on 7/9/2024 12:15Z and is still currently deployed.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Powering the Woods Hole X-Spar Buoy with Ocean Wave Energy—A Control Co-Design Feasibility Study

Despite its success in measuring air–sea exchange, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s (WHOI) X-Spar Buoy faces operational limitations due to energy constraints, motivating the integration of an energy harvesting apparatus to improve its deployment duration and capabilities. This work explores the feasibility of an augmented, self-powered system in two parts. Part 1 presents the collaborative design between X-Spar developers and wave energy researchers translating user needs into specific functional requirements. Based on requirements like desired power levels, deployability, survivability, and minimal interference with environmental data collection, unsuitable concepts are pre-eliminated from further feasibility study consideration. In part 2, we focus on one of the promising concepts: an internal rigid body wave energy converter. We apply control co-design methods to consider commercial of the shelf hardware components in the dynamic models and investigate the concept’s power conversion capabilities using linear 2-port wave-to-wire models with concurrently optimized control algorithms that are distinct for every considered hardware configuration. During this feasibility study we utilize two different control algorithms, the numerically optimal (but acausal) benchmark and the optimized damping feedback. We assess the sensitivity of average power to variations in drive-train friction, a parameter with high uncertainty, and analyze stroke limitations to ensure operational constraints are met. Our results indicate that a well-designed power take-off (PTO) system could significantly extend the WEC-Spar’s mission by providing additional electrical power without compromising data quality.

autonomous systems↗