Structural assessment of floating-type wave energy converter

Abstract

Waves are caused by winds blowing over the ocean surface. Ocean waves are an abundant, renewable, and non-polluting source of energy. Ocean wave energy is extracted from the surface motion of waves and transformed into electrical energy by using wave energy converters (WECs). In the present study, the floating-type WEC is considered. An integrated procedure for hydrodynamic analysis and structural assessment of a floating-type WEC is addressed. To analyze the floating condition of the WEC, spring elements are used to prevent rigid-body motion without influencing the stress results. The load effects from inertial forces and the wave-induced force are considered in numerical computations. In addition, the effects of wave conditions, such as period, and incident wave angle, on the structural strength of the floating-type WEC are also considered. The ANSYS finite element method is employed to numerically compute the behavior of the structure by using a quasi-static approach. In this study, effective use is made of basic research to design structural details, and the important insights obtained have been documented. Copyright ？ 2013 by the International Society of Offshore and Polar Engineers (ISOPE).