Abstract
A variety of devices and concepts have been proposed and thoroughly investigated for the exploitation of renewable wave energy. Many of the devices operate in nearshore and coastal regions, and thus, variable bathymetry could have significant effects on their performance. In particular, Oscillating Wave Surge Converters (OWSCs) exploit the horizontal motion of water waves interacting with the flap of the device. In this work, a Boundary Element Method (BEM) is developed, and applied to the investigation of variable bathymetry effects on the performance of a simplified 2D model of a surge-type wave energy converter excited by harmonic incident waves. Numerical results, illustrating the effects of depth variation in conjunction with other parameters, like inertia and power-take-off, on the performance of the device, are presented. Finally, a comparative evaluation of the present simplified surge-type WEC model and point absorbers is presented for a case study in a selected coastal site on the Greek nearshore area, characterized by relatively increased wave energy potential.
Highlights
During the last period, marine renewables have been the subject of intensive research worldwide, both by the industry and the academic community
As regards the devices that operate in nearshore and coastal regions, effects caused on their response due to finite water depth bathymetric inhomogeneities could be significant, and need to be considered; e.g., see [7]. This has been illustrated in the case of point absorbers operating in variable bathymetry regions, for which models based on the Boundary Element Method (BEM) have been developed, e.g., [8,9], where it is shown that bottom slope and curvature could have an effect on the performance of the systems, especially in shallow water conditions
The terminator-type model is studied in two dimensions, where the flap of the device is aligned perpendicular to the incident wave direction
Summary
Marine renewables have been the subject of intensive research worldwide, both by the industry and the academic community. As regards the devices that operate in nearshore and coastal regions, effects caused on their response due to finite water depth bathymetric inhomogeneities could be significant, and need to be considered; e.g., see [7] This has been illustrated in the case of point absorbers operating in variable bathymetry regions, for which models based on the Boundary Element Method (BEM) have been developed, e.g., [8,9], where it is shown that bottom slope and curvature could have an effect on the performance of the systems, especially in shallow water conditions. Function—which is assumed to be piecewise constant on each element—and enforcing the boundary
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