Computational Fluid Dynamics applied to wave energy extraction in a coastal environment

Offentlig prosjektsammendrag

Unlike for ships and offshore structures which are designed to have minimal response in bad weather, wave power devices must respond to the waves. The design of a floating unit which is both an efficient wave power absorber and survives in a storm environment is therefore a formidable challenge. With large vessel motions, traditional analysis tools, based on linear or weakly nonlinear theory, may not be sufficiently accurate to verify the survival of a floating wave power device. Furthermore, in order to plan and design a commercial wave power plant, reliable estimates of the available wave power, and the wave properties in the survival conditions, are essential. For offshore locations, global or regional hindcast models give a good estimate of the wave environment. For nearshore locations, however, local phase averaged models may not be reliable and do not provide the data on individual waves and kinematics needed for calculating reliably the response of the power plant in waves. The objective of the present research project is to apply state-of-the-art methods within Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to the problems of computing strongly nonlinear response of floating structures and the calculation of phase-resolved irregular wave conditions in shallow waters. The outcome of the project is expected to reduce the uncertainty in calculation of the response of floating units in waves and give a more accurate description of the wave conditions at nearshore locations. The results of this project is also expected to be useful in the design of other coastal structures, such as floating solar, bottom fixed and floating wind turbines, and fish farming infrastructure.