Numerical simulation of a simple OWC problem for turbine performance

Air turbines are commonly used in Oscillating Water Column (OWC) devices for wave energy conversion. The purpose of this paper is to simulate the performance of an OWC turbine through the implementation of an Actuator Disk Model (ADM) in Fluent®. A set of different regular wave tests are developed in a 2D numerical wave flume. The model is tested using the information analysed from experimental tests on a Wells type turbine, carried out in wind tunnel. Linear response is achieved in terms of pressure drop and air flow in all cases, proving effectively the actuator disk model applicability to OWC devices.