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Numerical study on aerodynamic and hydrodynamic load characteristics of a floating pneumatic wave energy converter under real sea conditions

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  • Xu, Haochun
  • Zhang, Yongliang
  • Wang, Chen
  • Yang, Huanbin

Abstract

The aerodynamic and hydrodynamic load characteristics of a floating pneumatic wave energy converter with a backward flow duct were numerically investigated under different sea conditions by using the Reynolds-Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) equations and Volume of Fluid (VOF) method. The marine hydrological data used in this study was measured from a certain sea area in China, and the actual waves were regarded as a combination of a series of regular waves. The focus is on analyzing the influence of wave parameters on the capture width ratio and chamber pressure in the range of slight to very high sea conditions, as well as the distribution of pressure differences acting on the thin-walled structure of the converter to identify the weak parts of the converter structure. The results reveal that the air chamber pressure reaches its maximum value in a certain rough sea condition. The maximum pressure difference occurs on the top panel of the flow duct, with a maximum value of 36.5 kPa. These results provide valuable insights into the hydrodynamic behavior and performance characteristics of pneumatic wave energy converters, revealing their advantages in low loads acted on the device panels and specific areas for improving converter reliability.

Suggested Citation

  • Xu, Haochun & Zhang, Yongliang & Wang, Chen & Yang, Huanbin, 2025. "Numerical study on aerodynamic and hydrodynamic load characteristics of a floating pneumatic wave energy converter under real sea conditions," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 314(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:314:y:2025:i:c:s0360544224039318
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2024.134153
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