Experimental investigation of pile-supported Oscillating Water Column devices
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Almalki, YR
Swan, C
Karmpadakis, I
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
The present study investigates the impact of key geometric parameters in the design of an Oscillating Water Column (OWC) integrated into a pile-supported breakwater. This is achieved through an extensive experimental campaign and a systematic investigation of key device parameters. Specifically, the present study examines the pneumatic efficiency of the OWC, the geometric characteristics of both the OWC and the breakwater, as well as the position of the OWC within the breakwater. The effect of these device characteristics on the performance of the OWC is assessed by considering monochromatic waves of varying steepness and effective water depths. The performance of the OWC is evaluated in terms of its wave transmission and reflection coefficients, as well as its energy generation efficiency. In turn, these are quantified using arrays of collocated sensors and high-speed imaging. Taken together, the parametric study provides physical insights into the effect of key device parameters on the efficiency of the OWC. Once optimal configurations are employed, the power output of the device is shown to increase by up to 164%, while wave transmission is reduced by 55%, compared to the initial design configuration. These results offer a valuable perspective for the development of more efficient wave energy converters.
Date Issued
2025-08-01
Date Acceptance
2025-03-23
Citation
Renewable Energy, 2025, 248
ISSN
0960-1481
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Journal / Book Title
Renewable Energy
Volume
248
Copyright Statement
© 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
License URL
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
122973
Date Publish Online
2025-04-10