Performance of dual-chamber oscillating water column device under irregular incident waves using Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes model

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to analyze the hydrodynamic performance and efficiency of a dual-chamber oscillating water column (OWC) device. For the Joint North Sea Wave Project (JONSWAP) incident waves spectrum, a two dimensional numerical wave tank is employed with nonlinear Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes equations model along with the standard $k-ϵ$ turbulence model. The free surface elevation is measured using the volume of fluid method. The numerical simulation demonstrates the streamline and velocity vector profiles throughout an entire pressure fluctuation cycle inside the chambers of the given OWC device. Further, investigation is carried out to analyze the impact of pressure drop and air flow rate through the orifice of the dual-chamber OWC device on the power generation. Moreover, the power spectral density analysis of the free surface elevation is provided to know the variation of the parameters in the frequency domain. These results demonstrate that the effectiveness of the dual-chamber OWC device is more near the significant wave height $H_s=1.50$ m.