Highwave Technology
Highwave Technology
The Reef
A matrix of HDPE pipe has been engineered for a shoaling reef system. The reef is a 3D basket like form designed with porosity like a dune fence to encourage sand intrusion for the mass of the reef. Designed very specifically to the local wave climate to act to refract the wave energy on the reef. Our 3D modeling confirms decades of informal model testing to give specific guidelines to adjust the shape, size and elevation resulting in real visual images of the expected result for a location.
The shoaling reef located just offshore was developed to manage specific erosion control for critical infrastructure. The energy focused and dissipated more offshore lowers the energy on the inshore to encourage sand accretion as in natural systems. Offshore reefs protect beaches by dissipating up to 97% of the energy before it hits the shoreline. The reef becomes a dynamic underwater sand bar never visible and more offshore on any typical beach and engineered for the 100-year storm times two.
Patented biomorphic energy converters can be easily located and installed on the reef in a harbor. The reef is towed to the location anywhere and installed on GPS guided anchors. HDPE as the building material will barley float and allows the use of air in the pipes for towing and removed for anchoring of a typical football field sized reef. The exact size of the reef will be determined with full investigation of the inshore and offshore bathymetry for the project site and swell history with confirmation with final new 3D modeling to the site.
The reef can resemble a tripod or Y shape with the long leg of the Y as the refraction element that also holds the collectors at the highest elevation on the center and forward section of the reef and never in the breaking area of a wave. The goal to focus the local waves on the reef in a specific way to benefit the function of maximum effect for shore erosion, energy capture and waves for surfing.
The “V” part of the “Y” formalizes a footprint for shore protection inshore while producing a surfing wave for rides to the right and to the left on sand bars formed on the inside of the reef. This component has an economic benefit to communities that have shore erosion problems and could enjoy the recreational benefit. This attribute and removability of the reef will help permitting to encourage other economic benefits to most communities worldwide.
The reef has evolved over 30 years and the all pipe design features unlimited plumbing that allows specific pipes to be mains to push pressurized water ashore with its collectors. The reef can accommodate other energy or scientific projects by design. If 160 structural pipes are used as typically, up to 12 can be allocated as water mains to push high-pressure seawater ashore and any number of collectors.
A biomorphic wave energy collector design has evolved in the eight years of development. The motion of the Highwave design is smooth and like the movement the Giant Kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) They will be cost effective, easily maintained and replaceable on the reef on low swell days. This design considers the largest wave environments but also sensitive to harvest very low and typical swell conditions that will also function when the sun goes down and the wind stops blowing.