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Title: CFD design-load analysis of a two-body wave energy converter

Abstract

Wave energy converters (WECs) must survive in a wide variety of conditions while minimizing structural costs, so as to deliver power at cost-competitive rates. Although engineering design and analysis tools used for other ocean systems, such as offshore structures and ships, can be applied, the unique nature and limited historical experience of WEC design necessitates assessment of the effectiveness of these methods for this specific application. This paper details a study to predict extreme loading in a two-body WEC using a combination of mid-fidelity and high-fidelity numerical modeling tools. Here, the mid-fidelity approach is a time-domain model based on linearized potential flow hydrodynamics and the high-fidelity modeling tool is an unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes model. In both models, the dynamics of the WEC power take-off and mooring system have been included. For the high-fidelity model, two design wave approaches (an equivalent regular wave and a focused wave) are used to estimate the worst case wave forcing within a realistic irregular sea state. These simplified design wave approaches aim to capture the extreme response of the WEC within a feasible amount of computational effort. When compared to the mid-fidelity model results in a long-duration irregular sea, the short-duration design waves simulated inmore » CFD produce upper percentile load responses, hinting at the suitability of these two approaches.« less

Authors:
ORCiD logo [1];  [2];  [3];  [1];  [3];  [3];  [2]
  1. Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
  2. Oscilla Power, Inc., Seattle, WA (United States)
  3. National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Oscilla Power, Inc., Seattle, WA (United States); National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA); USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Water Power Technologies Office; USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Wind Energy Technologies Office; USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Wind and Water Technologies Office (EE-4W)
OSTI Identifier:
1515194
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1525306
Report Number(s):
SAND-2019-4731J; NREL/JA-5000-72447
Journal ID: ISSN 2198-6444; 675051
Grant/Contract Number:  
NA0003525; EE0007346; AC36-08GO28308
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Journal of Ocean Engineering and Marine Energy
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 5; Journal Issue: 2; Journal ID: ISSN 2198-6444
Publisher:
Springer International Publishing
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER; wave energy converter (WEC); extreme; survival; design load; CFD; wave energy converter; WEC

Citation Formats

Coe, Ryan G., Rosenberg, Brian J., Quon, Eliot W., Chartrand, Chris C., Yu, Yi-Hsiang, van Rij, Jennifer, and Mundon, Tim R. CFD design-load analysis of a two-body wave energy converter. United States: N. p., 2019. Web. doi:10.1007/s40722-019-00129-8.
Coe, Ryan G., Rosenberg, Brian J., Quon, Eliot W., Chartrand, Chris C., Yu, Yi-Hsiang, van Rij, Jennifer, & Mundon, Tim R. CFD design-load analysis of a two-body wave energy converter. United States. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40722-019-00129-8
Coe, Ryan G., Rosenberg, Brian J., Quon, Eliot W., Chartrand, Chris C., Yu, Yi-Hsiang, van Rij, Jennifer, and Mundon, Tim R. Tue . "CFD design-load analysis of a two-body wave energy converter". United States. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40722-019-00129-8. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1515194.
@article{osti_1515194,
title = {CFD design-load analysis of a two-body wave energy converter},
author = {Coe, Ryan G. and Rosenberg, Brian J. and Quon, Eliot W. and Chartrand, Chris C. and Yu, Yi-Hsiang and van Rij, Jennifer and Mundon, Tim R.},
abstractNote = {Wave energy converters (WECs) must survive in a wide variety of conditions while minimizing structural costs, so as to deliver power at cost-competitive rates. Although engineering design and analysis tools used for other ocean systems, such as offshore structures and ships, can be applied, the unique nature and limited historical experience of WEC design necessitates assessment of the effectiveness of these methods for this specific application. This paper details a study to predict extreme loading in a two-body WEC using a combination of mid-fidelity and high-fidelity numerical modeling tools. Here, the mid-fidelity approach is a time-domain model based on linearized potential flow hydrodynamics and the high-fidelity modeling tool is an unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes model. In both models, the dynamics of the WEC power take-off and mooring system have been included. For the high-fidelity model, two design wave approaches (an equivalent regular wave and a focused wave) are used to estimate the worst case wave forcing within a realistic irregular sea state. These simplified design wave approaches aim to capture the extreme response of the WEC within a feasible amount of computational effort. When compared to the mid-fidelity model results in a long-duration irregular sea, the short-duration design waves simulated in CFD produce upper percentile load responses, hinting at the suitability of these two approaches.},
doi = {10.1007/s40722-019-00129-8},
journal = {Journal of Ocean Engineering and Marine Energy},
number = 2,
volume = 5,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Apr 02 00:00:00 EDT 2019},
month = {Tue Apr 02 00:00:00 EDT 2019}
}

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Works referencing / citing this record:

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