Abstract
This paper explores a trade-off between structural longevity and energetic response for wave energy converters in irregular waves. To this end, a physics-based simulation methodology is developed which integrates both the hydrodynamic efficiency calculation and fatigue damage assessment. This methodology is embedded into a parameterised computational model by coupling analytical models for the simulation of both the pressure field and the hydrodynamic efficiency for a particular incident sea state, and a numerical model for the structural analysis of the system. The methodology is general but for this paper it is specialised for an idealised power-optimal bottom-fixed oscillating water column device. As particular case studies, a sea-state adaptive power-optimal configuration and a fixed power-optimal configuration were investigated and compared. The results reveal that the sea-state adaptive configuration not only provides the optimal hydrodynamic efficiency, but also leads to less accumulated fatigue damage.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 107260 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Ocean Engineering |
| Volume | 206 |
| Early online date | 14 Apr 2020 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 15 Jun 2020 |
Funding
The authors would like to acknowledge the support of the UK Centre for Marine Energy Research (UKCMER) under the SuperGen Marine programme funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council , Grant EP/P008682/1 .
Keywords
- fatigue damage
- hydrodynamic efficiency
- irregular waves
- oscillating water column
- power-optimal configuration