Numerical Study of the Influence of U-shaped Walls on Energy Capture Property of OWC Wave Energy Devices

Abstract

Cui, L.; Zheng, X.B.; Ji, M.Z., and He, X., 2020. Numerical study of the influence of u-shaped walls on energy capture property of OWC wave energy devices. In: Guido Aldana, P.A. and Kantamaneni, K. (eds.), Advances in Water Resources, Coastal Management, and Marine Science Technology. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 104, pp. 192–197. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.In this paper, a two-dimensional numerical wave flume has been established based on the incompressible viscous fluid theory and by using STAR-CCM + software, verifying the convergence and accuracy of the numerical flume. By building a numerical model for the interaction between waves and U-OWC devices, this paper studies the influence of each major control parameter on the wave energy capture efficiency of U-OWC wave energy devices. The research results show that the height of U-shaped walls has a great impact on the wave energy capture efficiency of the devices and that proper U-shaped wall height can enhance the wave energy capture efficiency; the distance between the U-shaped wall and the anterior wall of air chamber as well as the inclination of U-shaped walls also have a large effect on the hydrodynamic property of the devices, and appropriate distance between the U-shaped wall and the anterior wall of air chamber and correct inclination of U-shaped walls can increase the wave energy capture efficiency of U-OWC devices to a certain extent.