U-Oscillating Water Column in Random Waves: Modelling and Performances

This paper deals with the analytical modelling of an U-Oscillating Water Column (U-OWC). It is shown that this device can be adequately described by a nonlinear equation of motion including hydrodynamic memory effects. The excitation of the system, the added mass and the retardation function are derived by approximating the solution of a pertinent initial boundary value problem via eigen-function expansions of the (linear) velocity potential. Next, the performance of the system is investigated in random waves by relying on Monte Carlo simulations. The excitation of the system is synthesized from a given power spectral density. Then, the nonlinear equation of motion is numerically integrated. Pertinent statistical measures are estimated for assessing the efficiency of the U-OWC in exploiting sea wave energy. In this regard, the parameters show that the device can absorb most part of the incident wave energy. Further, the device can work in safe conditions even in quite rough sea states.