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Ocean Systems Engineering Volume 3, Number 4, December 2013 , pages 327-348 DOI: https://doi.org/10.12989/ose.2013.3.4.327 |
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Energy extraction from the motion of an oscillating water column |
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Hao Wang and Jeffrey M. Falzarano
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| Abstract | ||
| An Oscillating Water Column (OWC) is a relatively practical and convenient device that converts wave energy to a usable form, which is electricity. The OWC is kept inside a fixed truncated vertical cylinder, which is a hollow structure with one open end submerged in the water and with an air turbine at the top. This research adopts potential theory and Galerkin methods to solve the fluid motion inside the OWC. Using an air-water interaction model, OWC design for energy extraction from regular wave is also explored. The hydrodynamic coefficients of the scattering and radiation potentials are solved for using the Galerkin approximation. The numerical results for the free surface elevation have been verified by a series of experiments conducted in the University of New Orleans towing tank. The effect of varying geometric parameters on the response amplitude operator (RAO) of the OWC is studied and modification of the equation for evaluating the natural frequency of the OWC is made. Using the model of air-water interaction under certain wave parameters and OWC geometric parameters, a computer program is developed to calculate the energy output from the system. | ||
| Key Words | ||
| oscillating water column; Galerkin approximation; natural frequency; wave height; turbine constant; truncated vertical cylinder | ||
| Address | ||
| Hao Wang and Jeffrey M. Falzarano : Ocean Engineering Program, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA | ||
