Turbulence model effects on the hydrodynamic response of an oscillating water column (OWC) with use of a computational fluid dynamics model

Oscillating water column (OWC) is considered as one of the promising wave energy converters (WECs) due to its simple structure and working mechanism. Integrating OWCs with other marine structures gives additional feasible applications for WEC devices. This study presents a numerical simulation of a circular bottom-sitting OWC device for wave energy extraction using computational fluid dynamics. The numerical model is based on Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes equations with different turbulence models and a volume-of-fluid method to track the free surface. The numerical model and setup are validated against a set of wave-flume experimental results. The numerical simulation provides detailed flow-field information, which allows for an analysis of the spatial non-uniformity inside and outside of the OWC chamber. The results show that the SST k-ω turbulence model is recommended in OWC simulation, of this type, comparing the wave elevation and air pressure to experimental data. Moreover, positive results of the integration of an OWC of this type on a breakwater are presented and discussed.