Nonlinear Froude-Krylov and viscous drag representations for wave energy converters in the computation/fidelity continuum

Considering a heaving wave energy converter with and without the application of latching control, this paper studies and compares nine different modelling options, eight of which are based on potential theory and consider nonlinear Froude-Krylov and viscous drag forces, while one is based on fully-nonlinear computational fluid dynamics. The value of including nonlinearities in the hydrodynamic model is discussed in relation to the computational cost of the eventual accuracy benefits, under a range of scenarios.