On survivability of asymmetric wave-energy converters in extreme waves

To provide guidance for improving the survivability of asymmetrical wave-energy converters (AWECs), the forces experienced by them in breaking-waves condition were analyzed and reported. “The Berkeley Wedge” (TBW), a highly efficient wave-energy converter and floating breakwater, was used as a canonical study. The forces were obtained by computation using the Weakly Compressible Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (WCSPH) method and by model-scale experiments. Breaking waves were first generated upstream for both physical and computational modeling by developing appropriate time histories of a wavemaker. Plunging breakers and wave forces from the computational model were verified by experiments for different drafts. To increase the survivability, while retaining the same operational draft of TBW, pressure-relief channel (PRC), a novel scheme that allowed water to flow through TBW was modeled and its effectiveness in extreme-waves was demonstrated computationally. A design was proposed to operate the PRCs so as to increase the survivability of such AWECs.