Dripta Sarkar

Wave farm modelling of oscillating wave surge converters

A mathematical model is described to analyse the hydrodynamic behaviour of a wave energy farm consisting of oscillating wave surge converters in oblique waves. The method is a highly efficient semi-analytical approach based on the linear potential flow theory. Wave farms with a large number of such devices are studied for various configurations. For an inline configuration with normally incident waves, the occurrence of a near-resonant behaviour, already known for small arrays, is confirmed. A strong wave focusing effect is observed in special configurations comprising a large number of devices. The effects of the arrangement and of the distance of separation between the flaps are also studied extensively. In general, the flaps lying on the front of the wave farm are found to exhibit an enhanced performance behaviour in average, owing to the mutual interactions arising within the array. A random sea analysis shows that a slightly staggered arrangement can be an ideal layout for a wave farm of this device. The hydrodynamics of two flaps that oscillate back to back is also discussed.

Wave Power Extraction by an Oscillating Wave Surge Converter in Random Seas

This paper investigates the behaviour of a bottom hinged flap-type wave energy converter (WEC), namely the Oscillating Wave Surge Converter (OWSC), in random seas. The semi-analytical model of Renzi and Dias (2013b) for an OWSC in the open ocean is considered to analyze the performance of the device in random incident waves. The modelling is performed within the framework of a linear potential flow theory, by means of Green’s integral theorem. The resultant hypersingular integral equation for the velocity potential obtained from the above formulation is solved using a series expansion in terms of Chebyshev polynomials of the second kind.The behaviour of the device is investigated for six different sea states, generally representative of the wave climate in the North Atlantic Ocean at the European Marine Energy Centre test site. A Bretschneider spectrum is considered in order to reproduce the sea climate. The analysis is made for sea states where the spectral energy contribution from large periods, which cause excitation of body resonance of the flap — not modelled by the linear theory — is almost negligible. The power take-off damping is optimised for each individual sea state to calculate the captured power.The investigation is undertaken for two flaps of different widths, resembling the Oyster1 and the new Oyster800 version of the Oyster WEC, respectively. Comparison is made between the performances of the two converters. The effect of varying the width and the characteristic parameters of the flap on the capture factor in random seas is then discussed.The results of the analysis show that the performance of the device is fairly consistent for the sea states considered. Also an enhancement in the overall average capture factor is shown for the latest version of the wave energy conversion device.© 2013 ASME

Analytical and computational modelling for wave energy systems: the example of oscillating wave surge converters

The development of new wave energy converters has shed light on a number of unanswered questions in fluid mechanics, but has also identified a number of new issues of importance for their future deployment. The main concerns relevant to the practical use of wave energy converters are sustainability, survivability, and maintainability. Of course, it is also necessary to maximize the capture per unit area of the structure as well as to minimize the cost. In this review, we consider some of the questions related to the topics of sustainability, survivability, and maintenance access, with respect to sea conditions, for generic wave energy converters with an emphasis on the oscillating wave surge converter. New analytical models that have been developed are a topic of particular discussion. It is also shown how existing numerical models have been pushed to their limits to provide answers to open questions relating to the operation and characteristics of wave energy converters.

A Machine Learning Approach to the Analysis of Wave Energy Converters

The hydrodynamic analysis and estimation of the performance of wave energy converters (WECs) is generally performed using semi-analytical/numerical models. Commercial boundary element codes are widely used in analyzing the interactions in arrays comprising of wave energy conversion devices. However, the analysis of an array of such converters becomes computationally expensive, and the computational time increases as the number of devices in the system is increased. As such determination of optimal layouts of WECs in arrays becomes extremely difficult. In this study, an innovative active experimental approach is presented to predict the behaviour of theWECs in arrays. The input variables are the coordinates of the center of the wave energy converters. Simulations for training examples and validation are performed for an array of OscillatingWave Surge Converters, using the mathematical model of Sarkar et. al. (Proc. R. Soc. A, 2014). As a part of the initial findings, results will be presented on the performance of wave energy converters located well inside an array. The broader scope/aim of this research would be to predict the behaviour of the individual devices and overall performance of the array for arbitrary layouts of the system and then identify optimal layouts subject to various constraints.Copyright

Oscillating Wave Surge Converters: Interactions in a Wave Farm

The hydrodynamic behaviour of a wave farm comprising of Oscillating Wave Surge Converters (OWSC) is investigated using a mathematical model based on linear potential flow theory. The developed method can analyse a large number of wave energy converters in arbitrary configurations with oblique wave incidence and considers the hydrodynamic interactions amongst all the devices. The highly efficient novel method is based on Greens Integral Equation formulation, yielding hypersingular integrals which are finally solved using Chebyshev polynomials of the second kind. Using the semi -analytical approach, some possible configurations of a wave farm are studied. In the case of an inline configuration of the OWSCs with normal wave incidence, the occurrence of a near resonant behaviour already observed for 3 flaps is confirmed. A strong wave focussing effect is observed in some special configurations comprising of a large number of such devices. In general, the flaps located on the front of the wave farm are found to exhibit an enhanced performance behaviour in average, due to the mutual interactions arising within the array. A special case of two back to back flaps, oscillating independently, is also analysed using the above approach.Copyright