Performance of an L-Shaped Duct OWC-WEC Integrated into Vertical and Sloped Breakwaters by Using a Free-Surface RANS-Based Numerical Model

Abstract

Waves generated by the wind in oceans and seas have a significant available quantity of clean and renewable energy. However, harvesting their energy is still a chal lenge. The integration of an oscillating water column (OWC) wave energy converter into a breakwater leads to more viability, since it allows working as both harbor and coastal protection and harvesting wave energy. The main objective of this study is to investigate different configurations of L-shaped duct OWC devices inserted into vertical and sloped (2:3) impermeable breakwaters for different lengths of the lip by using a numerical model based on the Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes equations. The ANSYS FLUENT® software (2016) is used in 2D numerical simulations by adopting the volume of fluid method to consider the two-phase free surface flow (water and air). It was observed that both the length of the lip and the length of the L-shaped duct OWC significantly influence the resonance and the efficiency of the OWC device. In addition, the performance of the OWC device varies significantly with its geometric configuration, which needs to be adapted for the local sea state.