Numerical modeling of an innovative hybrid wind turbine and WEC systems performance: A case study in the Persian Gulf

Abstract

Due to the high cost of using offshore wind turbines, increasing the efficiency and amount of energy absorbed in different ways needs to be considered. This research work aims to study the dynamics and power absorption of the wave energy converter by proposing a new hybrid mono-pile wind turbine with two pitching WECs. Each WEC has a power-take-off mechanism activated by the pitch motion of the device linked to the mono-pile via a hinged type connection. The installation point was off the coast of Dayyer port in the Persian Gulf. First, the study area's wave, current, and wind characteristics were modeled and analyzed. Then a numerical model was developed to investigate and analyze the dynamics of the hybrid system and the effect of the damping coefficient between WT and WECs concerning power production under operational conditions. Hydrodynamic forces exerted on each part of the system were estimated using BEM in the time domain. The connections were also modeled as a linear, rotational damper and stiffness. The WECs' PTO's damping coefficient was established to optimize wave energy generation. By analyzing the damping coefficient of connections between the wind turbine and WECs, appropriate coefficients were obtained for maximum WECs performance. The results show that for this fixed hybrid arrangement installed in the coastal zone of Dayyer port in the Persian Gulf, 26% of the wind turbine energy is added to the device's energy by employing wave absorption systems.