Hydrodynamic Investigation of a Novel Concept of OWC Type Wave Energy Converter Device

Abstract

In the present study, the hydrodynamic performance of a novel and efficient concept of a floating Oscillating Water Column device has been investigated. The new concept consists of two chambers that are placed in the upstream (fore chamber) and in the downstream (rear chamber) with respect to the incident wave direction. The rear chamber acts mainly similar to a Backward Bent Duct Buoy system, while the design of the fore chamber follows conventional types of Oscillating Water Column systems with the harbour plates (bottom plate as well as side plates) elongated outside of the fore chamber. The primary efficiency of the devised concept has been investigated in the frequency domain. In this context, to solve the corresponding diffraction and radiation problems due to the influence of the air pressure inside the chambers as well as motions of the body, an in-house code has been developed in 2D using the Boundary Element Method based on linear wave theory. The obtained numerical results show that the introduced concept has advanced hydrodynamic efficiency in a broad range of waves.