CFD Simulations of Floating Point Absorber Wave Energy Converter Arrays Subjected to Regular Waves

Brecht Devolder, Vasiliki Stratigaki, Peter Troch and Pieter Rauwoens
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Brecht Devolder: Department of Civil Engineering, Ghent University, Technologiepark 904, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
Vasiliki Stratigaki: Department of Civil Engineering, Ghent University, Technologiepark 904, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
Peter Troch: Department of Civil Engineering, Ghent University, Technologiepark 904, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
Pieter Rauwoens: Construction Technology Cluster, Department of Civil Engineering, KU Leuven, Campus Bruges, Spoorwegstraat 12, 8200 Bruges, Belgium

Energies, 2018, vol. 11, issue 3, 1-23

Abstract: In this paper we use the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) toolbox OpenFOAM to perform numerical simulations of multiple floating point absorber wave energy converters (WECs) arranged in a geometrical array configuration inside a numerical wave tank (NWT). The two-phase Navier-Stokes fluid solver is coupled with a motion solver to simulate the hydrodynamic flow field around the WECs and the wave-induced rigid body heave motion of each WEC within the array. In this study, the numerical simulations of a single WEC unit are extended to multiple WECs and the complexity of modelling individual floating objects close to each other in an array layout is tackled. The NWT is validated for fluid-structure interaction (FSI) simulations by using experimental measurements for an array of two, five and up to nine heaving WECs subjected to regular waves. The validation is achieved by using mathematical models to include frictional forces observed during the experimental tests. For all the simulations presented, a good agreement is found between the numerical and the experimental results for the WECs’ heave motions, the surge forces on the WECs and the perturbed wave field around the WECs. As a result, our coupled CFD–motion solver proves to be a suitable and accurate toolbox for the study of fluid-structure interaction problems of WEC arrays.

Keywords: CFD; OpenFOAM ® /IHFOAM; wave energy; array modelling; validation study (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (12)

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