Wave Diffraction on Arrays of Vertical Truncated Cylindrical Bodies

Abstract

Offshore Wave Energy Converter (WEC) farms are widely deployed as regards the individual isolated devices aiming at maximum wave energy absorption and facilitating installation and power transmission. This paper summarizes the theory behind the hydrodynamic interactions of diffracted waves by a large array of vertical cylinders. The latter exhibits some remarkable hydrodynamic interference effects — near resonant modes — in waves causing large loads in adjacent elements of the array. Numerical results concerning the exciting wave loads for a variety of different array configurations of truncated and bottomless cylinders are presented and the free surface elevation around the elements of the array is evaluated pointing out the near trapped modes.