Section: New Results

Wave energy conversion hydrodynamics

• Participants: Umberto Bosi, Mario Ricchiuto

• Corresponding member: Mario Ricchiuto

We have proposed an efficient nonlinear modelling tool for the analysis of wave body interaction based on Boussinesq-type equations. The approach develop here is based on a PDE formulation which model the flow under the body with a depth averaged system featuring an unknown pressure for which a Poisson type problem must solved by appropriately embedding the constraint on the position of the body. The PDE system is discretised by means of a high-order continuous spectral/hp element method in which the coupling between the free surface and floater domains is handled by means of numerical fluxes inspired by techniques used in the discontinuous Galerkin approach. The model is now fully validated both in the hydrostatic case and in the non-hydrostatic one [36], [37]. Several extensions are under way within the MIDWEST project.