The WITT- Energy conversion device is a fascinating thing to...

The WITT- Energy conversion device is a fascinating thing to watch. It is nothing short of a mesmerizingly beautiful piece of mechanical engineering. The demos look very spectacular because the flywheel rotates one way regardless of the random motion of the containing Perspex box. Everyone with a manipulating pair of hands falls in love with it; as also video clip observers. It is probably the reason why it set records for rapid crowdfunding earlier this year.

The mechanism appears to be an extension of the self winding mechanical watch of the 1960s. (I used to hear my father’s magic watch wind itself.) Since the power required for a watch is of the order of microwatts the human arm cannot even feel the energy extracted by the watch. For the larger demo versions the holder would feel an impedance (resistance) to motion. Note that in the demos there is no applied load except for the small flywheel. What would happen if a generator were attached to the output shaft?

DEGREES OF FREEDOM

Motions are registered relative to the massive 3D pendulum that wants to hang vertically. What would need to be the scale of a WITT WEC to accommodate 4m vertical amplitude waves? With what efficiency would power transfer occur through the gear train? Normally gear trains are rather wasteful. Is such a gearing mechanism essential? The WITT device genuinely can convert power from all 6 degrees of freedom. However, water wave transmission utilises only 2 degrees of freedom. Yes, you can get a little bit of chaotic wobble right at the surface due to crosswind air eddies but this is insignificant compared with the energy contained in the main circular orbits of the water particles. CETO, being 2m below surface, eliminates the surface chaos anyway. The other 4 degrees of freedom contribute nothing so that the complex gearing system is unnecessary.
If one looks at the mechanism of the Wello Penguin it appears to be a simplified form of WITT convertor eliminating all gears and gear losses while matching the passing waves. The eccentric rotor ‘falls’ continually relative to the direction of gravity while the curved shape of hull is designed to slide off the wave to aid the required tilt and synchronous motion. It is a device made for purpose, designed for 2 degrees of freedom, and resonant to waves.

SECOND LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS – always there

There is always an overarching principle that applies in any energy conversion system even if the details of the process are not fully understood. It is that in any physical process of change the entropy (state of disorder) of the system is increasing. It means that if the input (driving) motions to the WITT device are random or chaotic, the output cannot be purely the rotational motion of the shaft, without there being a much greater randomness or dissipation of energy somewhere in the system. This could be in the form of decreased efficiency through reactive forces or the effects of wear and friction in the gears, etc.

The WITT converter is a magnificent device looking for applications. Emergency and safety equipment, as suggested in their reports, is probably a good place for them to start since such costs are allowed to be high and efficiencies low.

The WITT developers clearly know their stuff about marketing. The small scale no load working models in Perspex boxes are easily handled by potential clients. It conveys the impression of understanding: “Hey, I can make it work.” It is a great way of selling the idea.

(I realise that you can’t love WITT devices any more than you can love chocolate because chocolate can’t love you in return. But beautiful devices can tickle the mind so that the imagination goes wild – same irrational effect as love.)

Juke