Abstract
This paper describes the development of a structural dynamics add-on to WEC-Sim, an open-source code dedicated to the dynamic analysis of Wave Energy Converters (WECs). When calculating the dynamic response of a body, WEC-Sim by default uses a rigid body dynamics approach. Such an approach ignores the potential effects of structural deformation on the WEC, which can in turn affect e.g. the distributed loads across the WEC and / or the individual (point) load sources that depend on the dynamic response of the WEC. Following a similar approach to tools used in the offshore wind industry, a structural dynamic add-on was developed using Code_Aster as the Finite Element (FE) solver to enable coupled hydro-elastic, time-domain analysis. The add-on was developed and tested using an example Oscillating Wave Surge Converter (OWSC) WEC model, currently being developed as part of the H2020 MegaRoller project. In the examples studied, the inclusion of structural dynamics is shown to affect the estimated peak Power Take-Off (PTO) loads, with variations in PTO force of over 10% being observed when structural dynamics are considered in the analysis.
Highlights
This paper describes the development of a structural dynamic add-on using a Finite Element (FE) solver in conjunction with Wave Energy Converters (WECs)-Sim, enabling hydroelastic, time-domain analysis of WECs
The MegaRoller WEC can be described as an Oscillating Wave Surge Converter (OWSC) with a modular Power Take-Off (PTO) solution, where hydraulic piston pumps have an interface with the prime mover via a twin drivetrain located at each end of the flap
This paper documents the development and testing of a novel structural dynamics add-on for WEC-Sim, which enables the consideration of structural deformations
Summary
The Horizon 2020 MegaRoller project aims to design, build and validate a high performance, cost-efficient and reliable 1MW-scale Power Take-Off (PTO) that can be integrated into Oscillating Wave Surge Converter (OWSC) designs. In this context, the knowledge of localised effects related to both the environmental conditions and the WEC response is of crucial importance to the design, implementation and integration activities to be completed. One of the consortium’s key focuses is to increase the understanding of the wave-structure interaction problem via the development of a fully-coupled, nonlinear loads model, suitable for the assessment of distributed loads and for performance and structural analysis from an early design stage up to the transition to detail design. In order to accurately enable the consideration of structural deformations of the prime mover of a WEC, such as the main body (flap) of an OWSC, a structural dynamics add-on is required
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