Modelling of submerged oscillating water columns with mass transfer for wave energy extraction

Abstract

Oscillating-water-column (OWC) devices are a very important type of wave energy converters which have been extensively studied over the years. Although most designs of OWC are based on floating or fixed structures exposed above the surface level, little is known from completely submerged systems which can benefit from reduced environmental loads and a simplified structural design. The submerged type of resonant duct consists of two OWCs separated by a weir and air chamber instead of the commonly used single column. Under conditions close to resonance, water flows from the first column into the second one, resulting in a positive flow through the system from which energy can be extracted by a hydro turbine. While existing work has looked at the study of the behaviour of one OWC, this paper addresses the dynamic interaction between the two water columns including the mass transfer mechanism as well as the associated change of momentum. A numerical time-domain model is used to obtain some initial results on the performance and response of the system for different design parameters. The model is derived from 1D conservation of mass and momentum equations, including hydrodynamic effects, adiabatic air compressibility and turbine induced damping. Preliminary results indicate that the mass transfer has an important effect both on the resonance amplification and on the phase between the motion of the two columns. Simulation results are presented for the system performance over several weir heights and regular wave conditions. Further work will continue in design optimization and experimental validation of the proposed model.