Nonlinear Analysis of an Oscillating Water Column Wave Energy Device in Frequency Domain via Statistical Linearization

Wave energy converters (WECs) are often subject to large displacements during operating conditions. Hence, nonlinearities present in numerical methods to estimate the performance of WECs must be considered for realistic predictions. These large displacements occur when the device operates on resonant conditions, which results in maximum energy conversion. The system dynamics are usually simulated via time domain models in order to being able to capture nonlinearities. However, a high computational cost is associated with those simulations. Alternatively, the present work treats the nonlinearities in the frequency domain via Statistical Linearization (SL). The SL results are compared to the Power Spectrum Density (PSD) of time domain simulations to verify the reliability of the proposed method. In this regard, the work initiates with the derivation of the governing equations of the air-chamber and the Oscillating Water Column (OWC). Then, the SL technique is presented and applied. The SL results show a satisfactory agreement for the system dynamics, mean surface elevation, mean pressure, and mean power compared to time domain simulations. Also, the SL technique produces a rapid estimation of the response, which is an effective approach for the evaluation of numerous environmental conditions and design, and further optimization procedures.