In this paper we use the CFD toolbox OpenFOAM to
perform numerical simulations of multiple floating point
absorber Wave Energy Converters (WECs) in a numerical wave
basin. The two-phase Navier-Stokes fluid solver is coupled with a
motion solver to simulate the wave-induced rigid body heave
motion. The purpose of this paper is twofold. The first objective
is to extend numerical simulations of a single WEC unit to
multiple WECs and to tackle the issues of modelling individual
floating objects close to each other in an array layout. The second
objective aims to include all the physical processes (e.g. friction
forces) observed during experimental model tests in the
numerical simulations. The achievements are verified by
validating the numerical model with laboratory experiments for
free decay and regular wave tests using a line array of two and
five WECs. For all the simulations presented, a good agreement
is found between the numerical and experimental results for the
WECs’ heave motions, the surge forces on the WECs and the
perturbed wave field. As a result, our coupled CFD–motion
solver proves to be a suitable and accurate toolbox for the study
of wave-structure interaction problems of WEC arrays.location: Cork, Irelandstatus: publishe
