TITLE:
Numerical Simulation of Water Impact on a Wave Energy Converter in Free Fall Motion
AUTHORS:
Zheng Zheng Hu, Derek Mark Causon, Clive Geoffrey Mingham, Ling Qian
KEYWORDS:
Wave Energy Converter; Manchester Bobber; Cartesian Cut Cell; Free Surface Capturing and Artificial Compressibility Method
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Fluid Dynamics,
Vol.3 No.2,
June
26,
2013
ABSTRACT: Results are presented for the 3D numerical simulation of the water impact of a wave energy converter in free fall and subsequent heave motion. The solver, AMAZON-3D, employs a Riemann-based finite volume method on a Cartesian cut cell mesh. The computational domain includes both air and water regions with the air/water boundary captured automatically as a discontinuity in the density field thereby admitting break up and recombination of the free surface. Temporal discretisation uses the artificial compressibility method and a dual time stepping strategy. Cartesian cut cells are used to provide a boundary-fitted grid at all times. The code is validated by experimental data including the free fall of a cone and free decay of a single Manchester Bobber component.