Hydrodynamic Study of cylindrical WECS on the coasts of the Gulf of Mexico

SummaryThe present study is a hydrodynamic analysis of various vertical cylinder-type wave energy converter devices (WEC), covering the design part of the cylinder, hydrodynamic response analysis in HydroD, and coupled analysis in DeepC. Configurations with the best hydrodynamic performance for the WEC were tested. The design stage of the energy converters was an iterative process, and it was decided to place the tanks at the bottom of the structures as in the design of the platforms type SPARs. Seven energy converter devices were selected to analyze: WEC (diameter)x(draft) with diameters from 2 meters to 6 meters and drafts from 4 to 12 meters. The obtained results made it possible to identify the cylinders that present the most dynamics and their corresponding wave period. The influence of the mooring system was also recognized, and how it can contribute to controlling the movements of the cylinder so that it can produce electrical energy efficiently towards the final design.