Hydrodynamic performance of an integrated system of breakwater and a multi-chamber OWC wave energy converter

A multi-chamber oscillating water column wave energy converter (OWC-WEC) integrated to a breakwater is investigated. The hydrodynamic characteristics of the device are analyzed using an analytical model based on the linear potential flow theory. A pneumatic model is employed to investigate the relationship between the air mass flux in the chamber and the turbine characteristics. The effects of chamber width, wall draft and wall thickness on the hydrodynamic performance of a dual-chamber OWC-WEC are investigated. The results demonstrate that the device, with a smaller front wall draft and a wider rear chamber exhibits a broader effective frequency bandwidth. The device with a chamber-width-ratio of 1:3 performs better in terms of power absorption. Additionally, results from the analysis of a triple-chamber OWC-WEC demonstrate that reducing the front chamber width and increasing the rearward chamber width can improve the total performance of the device. Increasing the number of chambers from 1 to 2 or 3 can widen the effective frequency bandwidth.