Numerical Modeling of Oscillating Water Column Wave Energy Convertor

The oscillating water column (OWC) device is one of the commonly used wave energy convertor, OWC comprises a partly submerged structure open below the water surface, inside which air is trapped the above the water free surface. The oscillating motion of the internal free surface produced by the incident waves causes the air to flow through the turbines that drive the electric generators. One of the important factors in the analysis of OWC performance is the outgoing air pressure for turbine circulation and electricity generation. This paper considers the efficiency of OWC using finite difference numerical simulation. For fixed OWC device in potential equation solution, the radiation potential term is ignored. However, the significance of this modeling is assuming the inertial water free surface of the OWC as a floating rigid body. Hence, the radiation potential term is considered in the model leading to more accurate results. Analysis is performed in frequency domain based on linear wave theory and potential flow. The results were validated against experimental data.