Recent progress in development of novel marine renewable energy systems

Abstract: Climate change stands out as the foremost challenge confronting the 21st century, and it’s imperative to address it within the next 20 to 30 years to avert irreversible alterations to our ecosystem and mitigate effects on the human population. Urgency and significance underscore the need to harness alternative energy sources, displacing reliance on fossil fuels while ensuring energy security. Despite being an underused asset, renewable energy holds immense promise, potentially satisfying a notable percentage of global energy demands by 2050. I will discuss the modelling of arrays of wave energy converters, particularly in coastal waters. Devices in coastal waters are cost-effective measures that can achieve power generation while also ensuring coastal protection. The work is underpinned by mathematical modelling of an Elastically Moored Flexible Multibody Wave Energy Converter. Full linear (potential flow) theory is the standard benchmark for model predictions of hydrodynamics of floating bodies and wave interactions between the bodies. Solutions are typically obtained in the frequency domain, where the equations of motion for the bodies can be written in the form of a coupled damped harmonic oscillator (CDHO) model, but with frequency dependent coefficients owing to the coupling with the water.

Mathematicsfluid dynamics

Audience: researchers in the topic

Fluids and Structures Seminar @ UEA