Feasibility study of using OWC wave converter to supply the required electric charge of a refinery unit (Case study)

The present study is for the feasibility of using the OWC wave energy converter to supply electrical power to a refinery unit near the shores of the Persian Gulf over a 20-year horizon. Considering the potential of other renewable energy sources in the study area, a combined system of wind turbine, photovoltaic panel, wave converter, electrolyzer, battery and fuel cell is proposed. A comparison between using a reformer instead of an electrolyzer has also been studied. The effect of OWC energy converters on the hybrid system has been evaluated as a new approach in generating the required power. The results show that the hybrid system including the OWC converter with NPC and COE costs $ 26.5 and $ 0.205, respectively, is more cost-effective than the hybrid system without the OWC converter to meet the refinery unit power demand. About 30.7% of the required power is supplied by the wave energy converter. The use of wave energy converters is reduced in the months with low wave energy potential and the role of other renewable energy sources becomes more colorful.