Session: 09-05-01 Wave Energy: Hydrodynamics

Submission Number: 157303

Hydrodynamic Analysis of a Multibody Wave Energy Converter System With a Vertical Wall 

In this paper, two approaches, one based on the imaging principle and the other based on the modified Green function, are applied to solve the hydrodynamic coefficient evaluation problem of a wave energy converter system laying aside a long vertical wall. Initially, the previously in-house developed boundary element program called OREGEN-BEM is extended to solve the hydrodynamic problem in this scenario. A validation case considering a truncated cylinder sitting close to a horizontal and vertical wall is conducted to validate the developed code. Both radiation and diffraction coefficients using these two presented approaches are validated against available results. After these two approaches are validated, they are applied to solve the wave interaction problem of multibody systems containing multiple bodies that have a complex geometrical shape. The advantages and disadvantages of these two methods applied for the multibody converter system are thoroughly investigated in terms of data storage and computational cost. As far as we know, this is the first paper to compare the applications of these two approaches for the multibody energy converter system. It is beneficial for scholars and commercial software developers to understand these two approaches in depth.

KEY WORDS: Boundary element method; Imaging principle; Modified Green function; Wall effect; Multibody System.

Presenting Author: Gangqiang Li Ecole Central de Nantes

Presenting Author Biography: I am a tenured researcher (Chargé de recherche) in Laboratory in Hydrodynamics, Energies &
Atmospheric Environment at the Ecole Centrale de Nantes (France). My research focuses on
dynamics and vibration controller design of the space structure and offshore structure. I was a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Manchester (UK). I am developing a novel computing platform (including the hydrodynamic, multi-body dynamics, structural dynamics, and control strategy) for offshore renewable energy
systems of the general configuration. My research focuses on Multiphysics dynamic analysis
(including multibody dynamics, structural dynamics, hydrodynamics, and controller design)
Renewable Energy Converter and Floating Wind Offshore Turbine Systems.