Numerical Study of Air Chamber for Oscillating Water Column Wave Energy Convertor

Oscillating Water Column （OWC） wave energy converting system is one of the most widely used facilities all over the world. The air chamber is utilized to convert the wave energy into the pneumatic energy. The numerical wave tank based on the two-phase VOF model is established in the present study toinvestigate the operating performance of OWC air chamber. The RANS equations, standard k-ε turbulence model and dynamic mesh technology are employed in the numerical model. The effects of incident wave conditions and shape parameters on the wave energy converting efficiency are studied and the capability of the present numerical wave tank on the corresponding engineering application is validated.

OWC air chamber performance prediction under impulse turbine damping effects

Oscillating water columns(OWCs)are most widely used in coastal wave energy conversion.The air duct opens into the atmosphere through the air turbine,which is the power take-off device,and this results in a pressure drop across the air chamber.However,because of the complex configure of the impulse turbine and its high rotation speed,it is difficult to install it in the experimental simulator and numerical model.Therefore,the turbine damping effects on the operation of the OWC air chamber are induced to predict its performance more accurately.Orifice plates are used as a substitute for the impulse turbine as it generates a similar pressure drop and power output;the experimental and numerical pressure drops and output powers are compared.A 3D numerical wave tank based on the two-phase VOF model is established using the commercial CFD code Fluent,which can predict air flow and pressure variations in the chamber and duct.Water surface elevations,air flow velocity and pressure variation inside the chamber with the orifice plate are studied numerically,and validated by the corresponding experimental data.The air chamber of the Yongsoo OWC pilot plant is used as the engineering project case.The operating performance of the air chamber installed with a 0.428D orifice plate as the substitute for the designed impulse turbine is computed and analyzed.It is found that the turbine damping effects will cause around 30%reduction in the peak values of the pneumatic energy output of the OWC air chamber in the resonant wave domain.

Experimental and numerical analysis of multi-chamber oscillating water column devices

A review of multi-chamber oscillating water column(OWC)device designs is presented.Two significant variations of these devices are discussed,onshore OWC(OOWC)and a floating OWC(FOWC).The efficiency results of several theoretical studies based on low-and high-fidelity numerical models are presented and compared with the model scale results.Generally,low-fidelity numerical models are very fast to run,but their accuracy is limited compared with high-fidelity numerical models.Scaled model experiments usually give results much more accurate than numerical models,but they need adequate facilities and are very expensive.In the case of the OOWC,all models show a similar trend of total efficiency,but while the analytical model shows a maximum value of around 90%efficiency,the CFD model shows 60%,and the experiments only go up to 40%.The main reason is connected with the mathematical simplifications and assumptions that do not represent all the hydrodynamic and aerodynamic processes between the water,air,and structure.For the case of the FOWC,interestingly,the experimental results show a maximum efficiency of almost 100%,while the analytical model only predicts a maximum of 80%.The efficiency seems highly dependent on the heave motion resonance of the entire device,where the analytical model fails to predict this natural frequency.

Numerical analysis of a projecting wall type oscillating water column(PW-OWC)wave energy converter in regular waves

Oscillating water column(OWC)based wave energy absorption devices are classic which have been widely used for harnessing ocean wave energy.This paper presents a numerical study on a projecting wall(PW)type OWC wave energy converter in regular waves.The computational fluid dynamics(CFD)modelling of a stationary floating PW-OWC model in a three-dimensional wave flume is achieved by the software Flow-3D.Numerical analyses are carried out based on CFD simulations and the linear potential flow solutions with modifications to account for turbine-induced damping.The present numerical solutions are validated against our previous experimental data.It is found that both the CFD and modified linear potential flow predictions are in reasonably good agreements with the experimental data in the first order results of OWC and air pressure responses.When the nonlinear responses are included in the result,the modified linear potential flow solution is found to slightly under-estimate the wave energy conversion performance at long wavelengths.Regarding the airflows above and below the chamber orifice,the CFD results suggest that they are almost unidirectional,oscillating in not only the base frequency but also subharmonic and ultraharmonic frequencies.The evolution of the OWC responses during an entire period and the phase analysis based on CFD simulations are presented.The phase results provide the crucial evidence to the reasonability of the physics-based modification of the potential flow model in modelling of OWCs.The present results and analysis are expected to be beneficial to the understanding on the physical mechanism of OWCs and the design of phase control strategies.

Experimental Investigation of the Small-scale Fixed Multi-chamber OWC Device

Sea wave energy generators or converters(WECs)have the potential to become a viable technology for clean,renewable energy production.Among the WEC technologies,the oscillating water columns(OWCs)are the most common WEC devices studied.These have been studied and developed over many years.Multi-chamber oscillating water columns(MC-OWC)have the potential to have a higher energy conversion when extracting energy in mixed sea states than single-chamber devices.In the work reported in this paper,physical experiments are carried under regular wave conditions to test the wave power extraction of a fixed MC-OWC small-scale model.The Power Take-Off(PTO)of the device is simulated using orifice plates.The flow characteristics through these orifices are pre-calibrated such that the extracted power can be obtained only using the pressure measurement.Wave condition effects on the damping of the PTO of the device power extraction are addressed.The test results illustrate that the PTO system damping is critical and affects device performance.

OWC波浪能采集气室内水动力学压强分析

振荡水柱(Oscillation Water Column,OWC)是近年来发展较快的波浪能采集技术,该装置主要由箱体、振荡水柱和压缩空气柱组成,而波浪在气室内产生的压强对能量转换效率等起到决定作用。结合三维侧向开口的振荡水柱波能转换装置,基于线性波理论,采用三维Green函数法建立了气室内水气动力学性能的空气压强理论计算模型,利用多维切比雪夫(Chebyshev)多项式求解,计算结果精度高,能够准确表达波浪和结构设计参数对气室内压强影响。依据理论计算模型分析了波浪周期、波长、吃水深度、入射波幅等参数对气室内压强作用。

带收缩水道的沉箱防波堤兼OWC装置结构形式的研究

设计一种带收缩水道的沉箱防波堤和OWC(Oscillating Water Column)波能发电装置相结合的复合结构形式,开展物理模型试验研究。通过改变水道结构形式与OWC气室参数,并分析实验数据,探讨水道形式、入射波要素和OWC气室形状参数等对该复合结构工作性能的影响,采用气室内波幅放大系数、气室顶部空气点压力和防波堤前波浪反射率作为考察参量。

Experimental Study on Conversion Efficiency of A Floating OWC Pentagonal Backward Bent Duct Buoy Wave Energy Converter

Wave tank tests were carried out to evaluate the total efficiency of a floating OWC Pentagonal Backward Bent Duct Buoy (PBBDB). Two kinds of turbine generators were used in tests. The incident wave power, pneumatic power and electricity were measured. The test results show that the primary efficiency can reach up to 185.98% in regular waves and 85.86% in irregular waves. The total efficiency from wave to wire with Wells turbine-generator set is 33.43% in regular waves and 15.82% in irregular waves. The peak total efficiency of the PBBDB with check valves equipped with the impulse turbine-generator set is 41.68% in regular waves and 27.10% in irregular waves. The efficiency of the turbine-generator set is about 30% in the tests. Obviously, the total efficiency can be further improved with the increasing of turbine efficiency.

Prediction of regular wave loads on a fixed offshore oscillating water column-wave energy converter using CFD

In this paper,hydrodynamic wave loads on an offshore stationary-floating oscillating water column(OWC)are investigated via a 2D and 3D computational fluid dynamics(CFD)modeling based on the RANS equations and the VOF surface capturing scheme.The CFD model is validated against previous experiments for nonlinear regular wave interactions with a surface-piercing stationary barge.Following the validation stage,the numerical model is modified to consider the pneumatic damping effect,and an extensive campaign of numerical tests is carried out to study the wave-OWC interactions for different wave periods,wave heights and pneumatic damping factors.It is found that the horizontal wave force is usually larger than the vertical one.Also,there a direct relationship between the pneumatic and hydrodynamic vertical forces with a maximum vertical force almost at the device natural frequency,whereas the pneumatic damping has a little effect on the horizontal force.Additionally,simulating the turbine damping with an orifice plate induces higher vertical loads than utilizing a slot opening.Furthermore,3D modeling significantly escalates and declines the predicted hydrodynamic vertical and horizontal wave loads,respectively.

Performance studies on an oscillating water column employing a Savonius rotor

A new oscillating water column (OWC) design is proposed in this study to incorporate a simpler Savonius type turbine. Conventional OWC devices employ a bi-directional turbine such as a Wells or an Impulse turbine to extract energy from the air. The disadvantages of the Wells turbine include its inability to self start and stalling. The Savonius turbine is much cheaper and is an effective option at low Reynolds numbers. In the current rectangular OWC device, unlike the circular OWC, the width of entry of the capture chamber can be increased without being influenced by the diameter at the turbine section. To improve its primary capture efficiency, the front and rear walls of the OWC are inclined to minimize reflection. The Savonius rotor characteristics are studied with respect to the change in frequency of the incoming waves. The rotor rpm is sensitive to wave period and primary conversion efficiency while changes in depth only affect the rotor rpm at lower frequencies. The Savonius rotor shows promising results and can be incorporated into large scale OWC devices to reduce costs of the turbine component of the system.

Model Test and Design of the Wave Energy System on "Central Fairway No. 1" Light Ship

This paper presents the test of a ship model for the design of a backward-bent duct oscillating water column type wave energy conversion system, to supply electric power for a light ship. This system suggests a new way to produce electric power automatically for large light ships.

A RANS-VoF Numerical Model to Analyze the Output Power of An OWC-WEC Equipped with Wells and Impulse Turbines in A Hypothetical Sea-State

Wave energy is a renewable source with significant amount in relation to the global demand. A good concept of a device applied to extract this type of energy is the onshore oscillating water column wave energy converter(OWC-WEC). This study shows a numerical analysis of the diameter determination of two types of turbines, Wells and Impulse, installed in an onshore OWC device subjected to a hypothetical sea state. Commercial software FLUENT?,which is based on RANS-VoF(Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes equations and Volume of Fluid technique), is employed. A methodology that imposes air pressure on the chamber, considering the air compressibility effect, is used. The mathematical domain consists of a 10 m deep flume with a 10 m long and 10 m wide OWC chamber at its end(geometry is similar to that of the Pico's plant installed in Azores islands, Portugal). On the top of the chamber, a turbine works with air exhalation and inhalation induced by the water free surface which oscillates due to the incident wave. The hypothetical sea state, represented by a group of regular waves with periods from 6 to 12 s and heights from 1.00 to 2.00 m(each wave with an occurrence frequency), is considered to show the potential of the presented methodology. Maximum efficiency(relation between the average output and incident wave powers) of46% was obtained by using a Wells turbine with the diameter of 2.25 m, whereas the efficiency was 44% by an Impulse turbine with the diameter of 1.70 m.

Experimental Study on Conversion Characteristics of Dual-Mode OWC Models Appropriate for Voyaging

Freely movable wave energy converters(WECs) will greatly improve their adaptability to the marine environment.In this paper, a dual-mode oscillating water column(OWC) WEC with potential sailing capability is proposed. By opening and closing a gate on the side facing the waves, the WEC converts wave energy in the vertical duct(called VD mode) with low sailing resistance or in the backward bend duct(called BBD mode) with high sailing resistance.A small model and a medium model were designed and manufactured. The capture width ratio(CWR) of the small model in the two modes was experimentally studied. The CWR under bidirectional airflow and conversion characteristics under unidirectional airflow of the medium model in the BBD mode were obtained. Tests of the small model show that the peak CWR is 145.2% under regular waves and 90.1% under random waves in BBD mode, and in VD mode the peak CWR is about 60% of that in the BBD mode. Tests of the medium model show that the peak CWR is 228.96% under regular waves, the maximum wave-to-battery efficiency is 63.36% under regular waves and 30.17%under random waves, respectively.

双气室型OWC装置波能俘获特性的试验研究

本文针对双气室型OWC装置的波能俘获特性开展试验研究,主要探讨了不同开孔率、气室数量和波浪非线性对波能俘获效率的影响规律,并与同水柱体积的单气室型OWC波能装置进行对比。结果表明:开孔率为1.0%时,单气室OWC装置波能俘获效率最大;波浪非线性对双气室型OWC装置波能俘获效率影响较大,非线性越强,总波能俘获效率越低;后气室在高频区的波能俘获效率降低,低频区波能俘获效率升高;开孔率为1.0%情况下,相比于传统单气室型OWC波能装置,双气室型OWC装置波能俘获效率更高,最佳波能俘获效率提高约11.4%。

冲击式波浪能摩擦纳米发电机的设计与半物理实验

提出并设计了一种基于冲击式空气透平的波浪能摩擦纳米发电机,将其应用于振荡水柱波浪能转换装置中,能够将低频的海洋波浪能高效转换为电能。详细阐述了该发电机的结构与工作原理,搭建了两个实验平台,分别进行了电极参数优化实验和电学输出性能实验。实验结果表明,利用聚四氟乙烯作为电极的介电材料,其电学输出性能最优,聚四氟乙烯的厚度越大,电学性能输出越好。当发电机电极角度逐渐减小时,短路电流呈上升趋势。设计并制造了冲击式波浪能摩擦纳米发电机,进行了单风向半物理仿真实验。研究了不同风速下的电学输出性能,并进行了电容充电实验。通过电路设计驱动点亮了33盏LED。验证了冲击式波浪能摩擦纳米发电机的可靠性以及对小型传感器供能的潜力。

振荡水柱波能发电装置的研究应用进展

振荡水柱(oscillating water column,OWC)波浪发电装置因其具有结构简单、性能可靠等优点而成为目前世界上最为成功的波浪能转换装置。为促进中国对波浪能的开发,本研究中对国内外OWC波浪能发电装置的研究和开发应用进行了综述,尤其是近年来所提出的OWC波浪发电装置与防波堤相结合的新型式——OWC型防波堤,针对中国在OWC研发上存在的不足提出相应对策,并对OWC的未来发展趋势进行了展望,因地制宜地开发海岛、海洋平台等区域的波浪能将成为中国在该领域未来的研发方向。

岸式振荡水柱波能转换装置的数值模拟

针对岸式振荡水柱波能转换装置(OWC)的能量转换效率问题,采用基于域内源造波技术的时域高阶边界元方法(HOBEM),同时在气室内引入压强模型耦合气液相互作用,建立了自由水面满足完全非线性边界条件的二维时域数值波浪水槽模型。通过数值计算研究了岸式振荡水柱波能转换装置的前墙入水深度、前墙厚度、气室宽度及入射波要素对气室内波能转换效率的影响。结果表明:岸式振荡水柱波能转换装置存在一个明显的共振区间,前墙入水深度、厚度与气室宽度的减小均会导致共振频率的增大;前墙尺寸的变化对低频区能量转换效率的影响很小,而气室宽度的变化会影响整个工作频率区间的能量转换效率。

振荡水柱波能发电装置气室的三维数值模拟研究

振荡水柱装置是目前世界上应用最为广泛的岸式波能发电装置。气室作为该装置的主要结构可将入射波浪的能量转换为往复振荡的气流动能,是完成能量一次转换的关键结构。为了建立用于考察入射波浪、气室内的波面振荡变化,准确预测气室工作性能的三维数值模拟模型,构建了基于VOF模型的三维数值波浪水槽。通过与物理模型试验的结果对比发现,该模型对气室内自由水面升沉的模拟计算与试验较为吻合,且优于相关二维计算结果,结果表明,该数值计算方法较为可靠,可应用于振荡水柱波能发电装置性能的预测及相关问题的研究。

前方后尖浮舱五边形后弯管水槽性能实验研究

为提高后弯管(BBDB)波浪能的转换效率,对基于新理念和经验研制的前方后三角浮力舱五边形后弯管模型在造波水槽中进行一级能量转换实验研究。共考虑约束方式、喷嘴比、链长、吃水深度、模型浮态等因素,设置23种实验工况进行对比。实验中测量入射波高、波周期、气室液位和气室内外气压差。实验结果得到,该模型俘获宽度比最高值为121.34%,远优于同样实验条件下前方后圆后弯管模型79.1%的历史文献最高值;并且具有较宽的响应周期,为后弯管在随机波条件下实现高效转换创造条件;在BBDB模型正向波作用自由漂荡运动中,测得最大俘获宽度比为94.73%。模型实验结果与高效空气透平机组的结合,为波浪能的高效、低成本利用提供可能。

振荡水柱式波能转换系统气室压强理论研究

振荡水柱式波能发电系统中波能转换主要结构气室能将入射波能转换为往复振荡的空气动能从而实现能量一次转换,该过程的气室压强研究对发电系统设计具有重要意义。因此针对"引浪板"和"引浪通道"的三维侧向开口固定式振荡水柱波能转换系统,采用三维Green函数法建立了气室内水气动力学性能的压缩空气压强理论计算模型。计算时为了满足压强与速度连续条件,响应脉动源与扰动脉动源两者在交界面上需要相互匹配;同时为了能够精确快速地求解三维Green函数,采用了多维切比雪夫(Chebyshev)多项式和渐近展开式快速近似计算方法。计算结果表明所用方法简单可靠,同时计算结果可应用于振荡水柱波能发电系统性能预测及相关问题研究。