Session: 

Submission Number: 180334

Hydrodynamic Analysis of a Hybrid Wave Energy-Aquaculture System Under Regular Waves 

In recent decades, aquaculture industry is moving into offshore area to acquire better resources. The growing demand for sustainable ocean resource utilization has driven the development of integrated marine systems combining wave energy converters with offshore aquaculture. This study proposes a novel hybrid system combining a semi-submersible aquaculture cage with multiple Wavestar wave energy converters (WECs) with multi-point absorbers. The integration enables shared infrastructure utilization, including floating pontoons, control structures, and mooring systems, thereby optimizing spatial efficiency and reducing operational costs. Numerical simulation is conducted by secondary developing in software Abaqus to analyze the hydrodynamic characteristics of the hybrid system. The hydrodynamic loads in pontoons of the aquaculture cage and floaters of the wave energy converters are calculated by the potential flow-based boundary element method in time domain. The velocity transfer functions induced by the diffraction and radiation waves are attracted. The hydrodynamic loads in the main frame and nets of the aquaculture cage are calculated by Morison’s equation. The pontoons and the floaters are considered as rigid bodies. The steel frame and nets are simulated by beam and truss elements, respectively, to obtain their structural deformation. The numerical results of the surge, heave and pitch motions, absorbed power, net deformation and fairlead tension under regular waves are presented and discussed after necessary validation. The motions of the aquaculture cage and net deformation with and without considering the diffraction and radiation waves induced by the wave energy converters are investigated and compared. The results show that the diffraction and radiation waves induced by the rigid floaters introduce a large change in the deformation of the nets. The comparative analysis of systems with and without WEC hydrodynamic interactions highlights the critical importance of component synergy in hybrid marine installations. Besides, the damping coefficient of PTO (power take-off) plays a crucial role in absorbed power. These findings provide valuable insights for the design and optimization of multi-functional offshore platforms, addressing both energy production and aquaculture requirements through enhanced hydrodynamic understanding.

   

   

   

   

Presenting Author: Xinsi Bi Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Presenting Author Biography: The author is a Ph.D candidate in Shanghai Jiao Tong University. His major is Ocean Engineering. His research fields include the hydrodynamic characteristics of semi-submersible aquaculture cages, wave energy converter devices, and integrated equipment.

Authors:

Xinsi Bi Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Xiantao Zhang Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Zhenpeng Wang Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion , Chinese Academy of Sciences
Songwei Sheng Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion , Chinese Academy of Sciences