Simulation of a Self-Adaptively Controlled OWC In a Nonlinear Numerical Wave Tank

TLDR: In this paper, an Oscillating Water Column wave energy device is simulated in a 2D numerical wave tank and a new wave generation by spinning dipole is proposed; when coupled to a robust wave absorption technique, it permits long time simulations without energy accumulation in the tank.

Abstract: An Oscillating Water Column wave-energy device is simulated in a 2D numerical wave tank. The fluid flow modelization is fully nonlinear. A new wave generation by spinning dipole is proposed; when coupled to a robust wave absorption technique, it permits long time simulations without energy accumulation in the tank. The turbine power take off mechanism is driven by a self-adaptive controller. The technique initially developed for active piston wave absorbers is applied successfully to OWC power plants. It is based on a Kalman filter frequency tracking algorithm. This control compares favourably with more conventional open loop systems.