Session: 09-09-02: Hybrid Energy II

Submission Number: 157631

Beyond Wave Energy: Applications of the WEC-SIM Open-Source
Software 

Initially released in 2014, the Wave Energy Converter SIMulator (WEC-Sim) is an open-source software (OSS) originally developed for simulating wave energy converters. The software is developed in MATLAB/Simulink using the multi-body dynamics solver Simscape Multibody. WEC-Sim models floating systems that are comprised of bodies, joints, power take-off systems, and mooring systems. It can simulate both rigid bodies and flexible bodies with generalized body modes. Simulations are performed in the time-domain by solving the governing equations of motion in 6 degrees-of-freedom, plus any number of user-defined modes. WEC-Sim hosts a repository that contains more than twenty applications of WEC-Sim - a wide variety of scenarios including desalination, floating offshore wind, mooring dynamics, nonlinear and variable hydrodynamics, batch simulations and many others.

Due to the open source nature of the software, WEC-Sim is very flexible and can be adapted to many different scenarios. With over 150 publications to date that develop and apply the WEC-Sim OSS, most of which are written by external authors, innovative applications of WEC-Sim are extensive. This publication is focused on non-traditional applications of WEC-Sim, meaning applications beyond wave energy. The publication will first review the literature and highlight a selection of WEC-Sim applications beyond wave energy. It will include applications for floating offshore wind, co-located wind-wave farms, hybrid systems, deployment and decommissioning, and desalination. The publication will then focus on development of new open-access examples of WEC-Sim for these beyond wave energy applications.

Presenting Author: Kelley Ruehl Sandia National Laboratories

Presenting Author Biography: Kelley Ruehl joined Sandia National Laboratories in 2011 as a researcher after completing her M.S. from Oregon State University. Kelley’s research is focused on numerical modeling, experimental testing, and software development for marine renewable energy applications. Kelley is the Principal Investigator and lead developer of wave energy converter simulator (WEC-Sim), an R&D 100 Award winning open-source simulation software. She has led development of WEC-Sim since its initial release in 2014 and continues to work on its development and application. Since WEC-Sim’s establishment as a TEAMER facility in 2020, Kelley has worked with technology developers to simulate the performance of innovative wave energy concepts. She has also served as a data analyst for the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Wave Energy Prize, where she supported the 1/20th testing for two of the finalists. She led the design, fabrication, and testing of the 1/33rd scale Floating Oscillating Surge Wave Energy Converter (FOSWEC), an open-access design and dataset, and the development of PRIMRE, the data repository for all DOE Water Power Technologies Office funded research. Kelley also serves as a subject matter expert supporting development of IEC TC114 standards, and DARPA’s Manta Ray program.