Time-domain modeling of a fixed detached oscillating water column towards a floating multi-chamber device

• A fast and accurate time-domain model for simulating fixed Oscillating Water Column devices is presented.
• The model was experimentally calibrated and validated based on physical testing carried out at the IH Cantabria wave flume.
• The model was numerically validated based on widely used numerical models such as IH-2VOF and WADAM.
• The model was proved to be a good first step towards the future modeling of floating multichamber devices.

A simplified time-domain model for a fixed detached Oscillating Water Column (OWC) device is presented as a first step towards modeling a floating multi-chamber OWC device. The motion of a floating body in the time-domain is expressed by Cummins integro-differential equation, and based on it, water mass motion inside the chamber has been modeled here as a piston-like motion. Radiation, hydrostatic, excitation and viscous forces have been considered, as well as the added mass of the water in the chamber and the effect of the air pressure inside it. The equation of the floating body in the time domain has been approximated by a state-space method, which comes from the extension of the state-space system corresponding to the convolution integral of the radiation force. Experimental data have been used for model calibration and validation. Furthermore, the model has also been validated with a widely used Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model (IH-2VOF). These show that the model presented is reliable and computationally efficient allowing for massive simulations for a statistical design or economic feasibility studies.