CFD simulation of a Passively Controlled Point Absorber Wave Energy Converter

Recently CorPower Ocean AB presented laboratory tests of a point absorber wave energy converter equipped with a novel technique for passive phase con- trol. The technique, known as WaveSpring, widens the response bandwidth by a negative spring arrangement, and in the tank experiment an up to three-fold in- crease in delivered power as compared to pure linear damping was observed. As previously reported, for point absorbers close to resonance the use of standard radiation-diffraction models can become unreliable while CFD simulations ac- curately captures the nonlinear wave height dependent response. Thus, in the present study a module representing the WaveSpring technology was implanted in the OpenFOAM framework and CFD simulations of the buoy were per- formed both with and without the WaveSpring module. Good agreement be- tween simulated and experimental results was observed, and the WaveSpring behavior was well captured in the numerical simulation. The CFD model can be used for further tuning of the WaveSpring/buoy design as well as providing val- idation data for radiation-diffraction models

Workshop on identification of future emerging technologies in the ocean energy sector. 27th March 2018 Ispra, Italy

As part of the European Commission's internal Low Carbon Energy Observatory (LCEO) project, the Joint Research Centre (JRC) is developing an inventory of Future Emerging Technologies (FET) relevant to energy supply. A key part of the LCEO initiative is the consultation of external experts, addressing both those with in-depth experience in specific fields and those with a broad perspective on relevant science and engineering aspects. In this context, on March 27, 2018 the JRC organised a Workshop on Identification of Future Emerging Technologies for Ocean Energy, on it premises in Ispra. The workshop was organised on the idea of a colloquium between international experts to discuss about future emerging technologies considering different aspects such as their technology readiness level (TRL), the potential advantages and challenges affecting their development, and evaluating the possible speed of development