Abstract
The present paper deals with the analytical evaluation of the hydrodynamic characteristics of an array of vertical axisymmetric bodies of arbitrary shape, placed in front of a reflecting vertical breakwater, which can be conceived as floaters for wave power absorption. At the first part of the paper, the hydrodynamic interactions between the floaters and the adjacent breakwater are exactly taken into account using the method of images, whereas, the interaction phenomena between the floaters of the array are estimated using the multiple scattering approach. For the solution of the problem, the flow field around each floater of the array is subdivided into ring-shaped fluid regions, in each of which axisymmetric eigenfunction expansions for the velocity potential are made. In the second part of the paper, extensive theoretical results are presented concerning the exciting wave forces and the hydrodynamic coefficients for various arrays’ arrangements of axisymmetric floaters. The aim of the study is to show parametrically the effect that the vertical breakwater has on the hydrodynamic characteristics of each particular floater.
Highlights
Within the context of the linearized theory of water waves, a variety of methods have been devised for the calculation of hydrodynamic interaction phenomena within arrays of floating axisymmetric bodies having vertical symmetry axis
The main objective of the present paper is to evaluate the hydrodynamic characteristics of an array of vertical axisymmetric floaters of arbitrary shape that are floating in finite depth waters in front of a vertical and fully reflecting breakwater of infinite length
The present analytical model is applied to the case of a single floating cylinder located in front of a vertical wall at finite water depth in order to compare the results with the ones of [15,16]
Summary
Within the context of the linearized theory of water waves, a variety of methods have been devised for the calculation of hydrodynamic interaction phenomena within arrays of floating axisymmetric bodies having vertical symmetry axis. The main obstacle in harvesting the wave power is the high energy cost, related mainly to the survivability of the wave energy converter (WEC) and its critical components and sub-components (i.e., power take off system, mooring system, power electronics gearbox, etc.,) at the demanding offshore environmental conditions (i.e., extreme weather conditions, salt environment, etc.) [5]. Another aspect for the high energy cost is the often lack of development of an offshore grid infrastructure to transport the electricity from renewable offshore energy sources to centers of consumption and storage [6]. The uncertainties in identifying and mitigating the environmental impact of the WEC’s life-cycle operation along with the lack of current licensing and consenting procedure lead the developers to face stringent and costly monitoring requirements before and after consent, increasing the wave energy cost [7]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
