Efficiency and survivability of a floating oscillating water column wave energy converter moored to the seabed : an overview of the EsflOWC MaRINET2 database

Floating oscillating water column (OWC) type wave energy converters (WECs), compared to fixed OWC WECs that are installed near the coastline, can be more effective as they are subject to offshore waves before the occurrence of wave dissipation at a nearshore location. The performance of floating OWC WECs has been widely studied using both numerical and experimental methods. However, due to the complexity of fluid–structure interaction of floating OWC WECs, most of the available studies focus on 2D problems with WEC models of limited degrees-of-freedom (DOF) of motion, while 3D mooring effects and multiple-DOF OWC WECs have not been extensively investigated yet under 2D and 3D wave conditions. Therefore, in order to gain a deeper insight into these problems, the present study focuses on wave flume experiments to investigate the motion and mooring performance of a scaled floating OWC WEC model under 2D wave conditions. As a preparatory phase for the present MaRINET2 EsflOWC (efficiency and survivability of floating OWC) project completed at the end of 2017, experiments were also carried out in advance in the large wave flume of Ghent University. The following data were obtained during these experimental campaigns: multiple-DOF OWC WEC motions, mooring line tensions, free surface elevations throughout the wave flume, close to and inside the OWC WEC, change in the air pressure inside the OWC WEC chamber and velocity of the airflow through the vent on top of the model. The tested wave conditions mostly include nonlinear intermediate regular waves. The data obtained at the wave flume of Ghent University, together with the data from the EsflOWC tests at the wave flume of LABIMA, University of Florence, provide a database for numerical validation of research on floating OWC WECs and floating OWC WEC farms or arrays used by researchers worldwide

Efficiency and survivability of a floating oscillating water column wave energy converter moored to the seabed: an overview of the EsflOWC MaRINET2 database

Floating oscillating water column (OWC) type wave energy converters (WECs), compared to fixed OWC WECs that are installed near the coastline, can be more effective as they are subject to offshore waves before the occurrence of wave dissipation at a nearshore location. The performance of floating OWC WECs has been widely studied using both numerical and experimental methods. However, due to the complexity of fluid–structure interaction of floating OWC WECs, most of the available studies focus on 2D problems with WEC models of limited degrees-of-freedom (DOF) of motion, while 3D mooring effects and multiple-DOF OWC WECs have not been extensively investigated yet under 2D and 3D wave conditions. Therefore, in order to gain a deeper insight into these problems, the present study focuses on wave flume experiments to investigate the motion and mooring performance of a scaled floating OWC WEC model under 2D wave conditions. As a preparatory phase for the present MaRINET2 EsflOWC (efficiency and survivability of floating OWC) project completed at the end of 2017, experiments were also carried out in advance in the large wave flume of Ghent University. The following data were obtained during these experimental campaigns: multiple-DOF OWC WEC motions, mooring line tensions, free surface elevations throughout the wave flume, close to and inside the OWC WEC, change in the air pressure inside the OWC WEC chamber and velocity of the airflow through the vent on top of the model. The tested wave conditions mostly include nonlinear intermediate regular waves. The data obtained at the wave flume of Ghent University, together with the data from the EsflOWC tests at the wave flume of LABIMA, University of Florence, provide a database for numerical validation of research on floating OWC WECs and floating OWC WEC farms or arrays used by researchers worldwide.European Commission | Ref. n. 731084European Cooperation in Science & Technology | Ref. COST Action CA17105 WECANe

DualSPHysics: an open-source code for engineering purposes

The DualSPHysics project is an open-source smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) code for simulating free-surface flow. The DualSPHysics code can be run on both multi-core central processing units (CPUs) or on a graphics processing unit (GPU) and is optimised to exploit the computational power of a GPU. Since its original release in 2011, DualSPHysics has been continually developed based on latest research and hence its functionality has been expanded to include an increasing range of applications. The paper presents the basic formulation and then details of all features of SPH formulations including boundary conditions, water wave generation and absorption, coupling with other models including the discrete element method, a physics engine and mooring library, and multi-phase models. Developing an SPH code with many developers in different locations presents challenges, and ensuring rigorous validation is undertaken before code releases is an important part of the development process. The validations undertaken for the DualSPHysics code are presented followed by two example applications: an armoured breakwater with moving armour units, and a wave energy converter. Both examples demonstrate the ability of SPH to include the interconnected movement of multiple objects. Finally, the paper briefly discusses the current research challenges being addressed by the DualSPHysics consortium.Postprint (published version

DualSPHysics: an open-source code for engineering purposes

The DualSPHysics project is an open-source smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) code for simulating free-surface flow. The DualSPHysics code can be run on both multi-core central processing units (CPUs) or on a graphics processing unit (GPU) and is optimised to exploit the computational power of a GPU. Since its original release in 2011, DualSPHysics has been continually developed based on latest research and hence its functionality has been expanded to include an increasing range of applications. The paper presents the basic formulation and then details of all features of SPH formulations including boundary conditions, water wave generation and absorption, coupling with other models including the discrete element method, a physics engine and mooring library, and multi-phase models. Developing an SPH code with many developers in different locations presents challenges, and ensuring rigorous validation is undertaken before code releases is an important part of the development process. The validations undertaken for the DualSPHysics code are presented followed by two example applications: an armoured breakwater with moving armour units, and a wave energy converter. Both examples demonstrate the ability of SPH to include the interconnected movement of multiple objects. Finally, the paper briefly discusses the current research challenges being addressed by the DualSPHysics consortium