Coupled dynamics of a point absorber array with a shared mooring system

This study presents a coupled Computational Fluid Dynamics model which is capable of simulating wave energy converter arrays with shared mooring systems. The model integrates the OpenFOAM solver, via the foamMooring library, with the lumped-mass mooring solver MoorDyn to simulate mooring dynamics. The overset mesh method captures the motions of individual floaters, while the Volume of Fluid method tracks free-surface variations. This work evaluates the effects of shared mooring line lengths and wave heights on the hydrodynamic interactions. Results reveal that the shared mooring lines experience significantly higher tension peaks (4–5 times greater) and more frequent fluctuations than the anchor lines, making them more vulnerable to wave-induced forces. The seaward anchor line exhibits greater tension than the leeward line, though both remain substantially lower than shared lines. Increasing shared line length amplifies pitch motion amplitudes in both the leftmost and central WECs, while heave motion remains unaffected. Notably, Model 1 (with bilateral shared lines) demonstrates lower sensitivity to wave height in pitch motion compared to other models. These insights advance the understanding of shared mooring dynamics and provide critical guidance for optimizing the design and survivability of multi-body arrays in real-sea conditions. • This study presents a coupled CFD model for simulating wave energy converter arrays with shared mooring systems. • The model integrates OpenFOAM, with the lumped-mass mooring solver MoorDyn to simulate mooring dynamics. • The overset mesh method captures the motions of individual floaters, and the Volume of Fluid method tracks the free-surface. • The shared mooring lines experience significantly higher tension peaks and more frequent fluctuations than the anchor lines. • Increasing shared line length amplifies pitch motion amplitudes in both the leftmost and central WECs.