Design Selection and Geometry in OWC Wave Energy Converters for Performance

Iván López, Rodrigo Carballo, David Mateo Fouz and Gregorio Iglesias
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Iván López: Departamento de Enxeñaría Agroforestal, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, EPSE, Rúa Benigno Ledo s/n, 27002 Lugo, Spain
Rodrigo Carballo: Departamento de Enxeñaría Agroforestal, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, EPSE, Rúa Benigno Ledo s/n, 27002 Lugo, Spain
David Mateo Fouz: Departamento de Enxeñaría Agroforestal, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, EPSE, Rúa Benigno Ledo s/n, 27002 Lugo, Spain
Gregorio Iglesias: MaREI, Environmental Research Institute and School of Engineering, University College Cork, P43 C573 Cork, Ireland

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 6, 1-18

Abstract: Although oscillating water column (OWC) wave energy converters are arguably one of the most studied technologies, it is not clear which chamber geometry, among all of the available alternatives, would provide the best performance at a site of interest. In this work, a numerical model based on the Navier-Stokes equations for two compressible fluids, using a volume-of-fluid interface-capturing approach, is implemented to determine the best performing OWC geometry in a case study off the Port of Vigo (NW Spain). Four general shapes of OWC are analyzed: classic, stepped-bottom, U-shaped and L-shaped, and geometrical variants are investigated. In total, 18 chamber geometries are studied, considering the same turbine geometry in all of them. It was found that the U-shaped and L-shaped designs are the most easily tuned to resonate at a period of interest. Of these two, the L-shaped performs better. The best performance is achieved for an L-shaped OWC design with a shallow entrance, a high horizontal chamber duct and a wide vertical duct, for which a maximum capture-width ratio of 71.6% was achieved.

Keywords: wave energy; wave energy converter; WEC; oscillating water column; OWC (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: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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