Hydrodynamic Performance Analysis and Optimization of Cylindrical Wave Energy Converters

Abstract

AbstractTo examine the hydrodynamic performance of cylindrical wave energy converters (WECs), the expressions of velocity potentials and excitation forces were formulated by using the characteristic function expansion method, based on linear regular wave theory. The hydrodynamic coefficients in the frequency domain were obtained for different geometries in a certain water depth by using the boundary matching method. The concept of total energy per unit mass of irregular waves was introduced to optimize and maximize the ability of wave energy conversion. The effects of weight distribution on coupled surge-pitch motion were also considered in order to optimize the safety performance of the device. The results show that there will be sharp resonance at a certain frequency and the draft-to-radius ratios of WECs have a great effect on the hydrodynamic performance when its mass is fixed. The unit mass of energy in heave is highly dependent on the ratio and mass of the WEC. The weight distribution has no effect on the hydrodynamic performance of the device but has a great effect on the pitch motion, and the center of gravity has a decisive effect on the safety performance of the WEC.