A time-domain simulation of an oscillating water column with irregular waves

Abstract

A time-domain simulation of a land-based Oscillating Water Column (OWC) with various irregular waves as a form of PM spectrum is performed by using a two-dimensional fully nonlinear numerical wave tank (NWT) based on the potential theory, mixed Eulerian-Lagrangian (MEL) approach, and boundary element method. The nonlinear free-surface condition inside the OWC chamber was specially devised to describe both the pneumatic effect of the time-varying pressure and the viscous energy loss due to water column motions. The quadratic models for pneumatic pressure and viscous loss are applied to the air and free surface inside the chamber, and their numerical results are compared with those with equivalent linear ones. Various wave spectra are applied to the OWC system to predict the efficiency of wave-energy take-off for various wave conditions. The cases of regular and irregular waves are also compared.