ON THE ARRAY OF WAVE ENERGY CONVERTERS: THE CASE OF THE COAXIAL-DUCT OWC

This work focuses on the initial performance assessment of an array of coaxial-duct (CD) oscillating-water-columns (owc's) with potential to be used as multipurpose platform for the creation of value in a diverse range of offshore economic activities. The coaxial-duct owc (CD-owc) is an axisymmetric oscillating water -column wave energy converter that has been studied for both small-size and large-size applications. This work focuses on buoys of 12 meter diameter distributed in an array of five devices, rigidly attached to each other, to form a cluster of owc's. The objective of the study is to assess the performance of the array with this configuration and estimate the effect of parameters such as distance between devices, various modes of movements, and other constraints on the overall power output of the array. Results of different cases are compared to the performance of an isolated device to determine the interference effect of other devices. Some results validate previous research conclusions and new findings on the behavior coaxial-duct owc are presented.