Nonlinear hydrodynamic analysis of an offshore oscillating water column wave energy converter

Abstract The hydrodynamic performance of a floating cylindrical oscillating water column (OWC) wave energy converter is investigated experimentally and numerically. The physical experiment is carried out in a wave flume at Dalian University of Technology. The floating cylindrical OWC device is constrained by springs and only moves vertically. A second-order time-domain Higher-Order Boundary Element Method, based on the perturbation expansion technique, is used to simulate the nonlinear wave interaction with the floating OWC device. The nonlinear terms concerning the pneumatic and viscous damping are introduced to the free surface boundary conditions inside the OWC chamber. The chamber surface elevation and air pressure, the hydrodynamic efficiency, and the vertical displacement of the OWC device are examined in detail. Good agreements are obtained between experimental data and numerical results. Then, the effects of opening ratio, wave steepness, mooring stiffness and chamber draft on the hydrodynamic performance are then investigated. It is found that the optimal opening ratio is between 0.02 and 0.03. The mooring stiffness plays an important role on the hydrodynamic response of the OWC device. The hydrodynamic efficiency and effective frequency bandwidth increase with the mooring stiffness.