SIMULATION AND PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF OWC DEVICE OPERATING IN COASTAL REGIONS

Wave energy converters are constantly being deployed in nearshore and coastal areas characterized by increased wave potential. The performance of the devices installed in the nearshore and coastal environment, where the sea bottom terrain may present significant variations, can be evaluated by formulating and solving interaction problems that involve water waves, structures and the seafloor. In this work a novel Boundary Element Method (BEM) is developed and applied to the investigation of a simplified Oscillating Water Column (OWC) system in the two-dimensional space, taking into account the interaction of the incident wave field with the bottom topography, in the context of the linear wave theory for normally incident waves. Numerical results that highlight the effect of seabed inhomogeneities on the hydrodynamic performance of OWC devices are presented, in combination with other parameters that determine the device’s performance, like the structure’s dimensions and power take off system. Finally, results related to the flow field developed during the operation of the device are presented and discussed.