SURVIWEC

Survivability of Wave Energy Converters

CALL: "Proyectos de I+D+i Retos Investigación"

REFERENCE: PID2020-113245RB-I00

FUNDING RECIPIENT: Universidade de Vigo Q8650002B

BUDGET: 181.500,00 €

DATES: 01/09/2021 to 31/05/2025

 

Summary

Offshore renewable energy is essential for achieving international commitments to combat climate change. Wave energy is one of the most available and constant renewable energy sources. The potential of the waves on our coasts can cover a large part of the energy needs of our society. However, the design of wave energy converters is still in an early stage of development and it is necessary to increase its survivability to reduce the costs of this technology, which will lead to greater industrial recognition as an alternative energy source. The main objective of SURVIWEC project is to develop and validate a numerical tool (using the DualSPHysics code as starting point) that will be employed to study the survivability of different point absorber devices under extreme wave conditions. The methodology of the project is based on three main steps: i) obtain present and future extreme wave conditions on our coasts, ii) implement and validate new functionalities in the DualSPHysics code, and iii) simulate point absorber devices to carry out an in-depth study of survivabilty under the extreme conditions previously obtained. The application of the numerical tool will focus on various configurations to account for different construction techniques and critical features, as displayed by existing prototypes that are currently being designed in different international centres. Using the new version of DualSPHysics, the objective is to help device designers in performing survival studies under extreme sea states (present and future). The success of the presented process could lead to the updating and improvement of the current guidelines for the design of point absorber devices. The numerical tool will be released as an open-source software that includes an easy-to-use interface that facilitates its use by other researchers, companies, and administrations involved in marine energy. The entire experimental database used of the code validation will be also released for public use. These proposed goals and project outcomes will encourage and support the development of more reliable and competitive wave energy converters.