| dc.description.abstract | Wave energy is harnessed during the transport and capture of waves at the ocean surface. It can potentially be a sustainable global energy source in the future. Wave Energy Converters (WEC) is one technology to generate electricity from waves. Many designs and concepts of WECs exist. Point Absorbers are one of these, and according to relevant studies, the most promising one.
The optimization of Wave Energy Converters (WECs) is a current topic related to the development of the ocean wave energy sector. This is of high interest between developers as competition is based on improving energy performance while reducing the cost. To solve the optimization problem, a numerical methodology is adopted in the present study. The optimization results reflect the Average Annual Power Absorption and the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCoE) of a WECs Point Absorber. Two constraints are applied; a constraint to achieve stability and a constraint to limit the heave motion. A cone and a bullet shape are considered, varying a set of design paramters. In total, one hundred geometries are genereated for each of the shapes.
The linear wave theory (LWT) is employed, and the open-source programs Nemoh and Salome are applied for the hydrodynamic computation. The aim of the study is to explore the use of these programs for hydrodynamics in terms of modelling, computational efforts and improvements in design optimization of WECs. A well-described method is presentented on how the open-soruce programs are connected to create an integrated optimization process to automate Salome and Nemoh. | |
