On Analysis and Design of Submerged Wave Energy Devices

The goal of this On Analysis and Design of Submerged Wave Energy Devices project at University of Dundee is to study wave interaction with submerged energy devices and assess the energy production.  

Context of   On Analysis and Design of Submerged Wave Energy Devices On Analysis and Design of Submerged Wave Energy Devices project at University of Dundee University of Dundee

Submerged wave energy devices are desirable due to (i) protection from the impact of breaking waves, (ii) elimination of visual and surface disturbances, (iii) their consistent performance under waves with different directions, and (iv) their simple energy production mechanism. 

An oscillating submerged body consists of a submerged, horizontal disc that oscillates in the vertical direction due to the surface waves. 

A wave carpet is an elastic plate that deforms due to the wave loads, and it can potentially extract the entire wave energy. 

In both devices, the disc oscillations and its deformation are transferred into electricity by use of a power take-off system. These submerged devices also function as a wave breaker to mitigate the severe impact of ocean waves on coastal areas.

This will be achieved by 

•  conducting laboratory experiments in a dedicated wave flume on wave interaction with the energy devices, and 
• by use of two theoretical approaches, namely the nonlinear shallow-water wave equations, and an open source Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software, OpenFOAM. Extensive tutorials will be provided on first learning the theories before applying them to this problem.