Constructal Design of an Overtopping Wave Energy Converter Incorporated in a Breakwater

Abstract

A numerical study was performed in the present work about an Overtopping Device Wave Energy Converter (OTD-WEC) with one and two ramps incorporated in a real breakwater. The Constructal Design method was applied to evaluate the effects on the average dimensionless overtopping flow of the degrees of freedom of the device with one and two ramps. In addition, a comparison was carried out among the different geometry configurations of the OTD-WEC to determine which one presents the best hydrodynamic performance. The work used the JONSWAP spectrum and the multiphase Volume of Fluid model. It also solved the conservation equations for mass, momentum, and an equation for the transport of the volume fraction using the Finite Volume Method. Results showed that a device with a two-ramps configuration presented an average dimensionless overtopping flow 6.48% higher than those obtained for the one ramp. Present results obtained using Constructal Design theoretical recommendations about the influence of a complex configuration with four degrees of freedom over the performance of an OTD-WEC integrated into the east breakwater of the city of São José do Norte, State of Rio Grande do Sul (RS), Brazil.

Keywords

• wave energy
• constructal design
• overtopping device
• geometric evaluation
• numerical simulation