Hydrodynamic Performance of Heaving Motion on Cylinder and Conical Two-Body Point Absorber in Low Wave Energy

Abstract

A The motion response of floating wave energy converters (WEC) is crucial for study in the field of ocean energy harvesting. A well-known design for gathering ocean wave energy is the floating wave energy point absorber. It is commonly investigated theoretically using idealised one- and two-degrees-of-freedom dynamic models based on the system's number of free bodies. Using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software, this article evaluates the hydrodynamic damping of heaving motions on cylinder and conical two-body point absorber wave energy harvesters. The damping performance of both point absorber devices in the Sarawak zone was evaluated using a simulation run at low wave heights (0.25m-2.25m) and short wave periods (3.5s-9.5s). Both point absorber bodies are modelled to determine their heaving dynamic motion frequency under calm, medium, and strong wave conditions. This analysis reveals the extensive research being undertaken to advance point absorbers' technical maturity, ultimately paving the way for commercialization and mass production. The results reveal that a cylinder two-body point absorber with a Response Amplitude Operator (RAO) is more efficient than a conical point absorber at absorbing low wave heights.