Articulated multi-body wave energy converter: Progress and technical challenges

Due to its vast reserves, high energy density, and strong sustainability, wave energy has garnered extensive attention worldwide from both academia and industry in the past decade. The unique oscillatory motion of waves has led to the development of articulated multi-body wave energy converters (AMBWECs), which are characterized by their flexibility in movement and adaptable configurations. Although there are many articles on WECs, a comprehensive discussion on AMBWECs has not been systematically reported, which could be of significant interest to researchers, developers, and investors worldwide. This paper introduces the types, working principles, structural characteristics, and hydrodynamic analysis methods of AMBWECs. From this, it is observed that different types of AMBWECs share common features and key technological characteristics. The hydrodynamic calculations of AMBWECs are highly nonlinear and strongly coupled. In particular, the coupling effects of the mooring system, along with the future development of large-scale WEC arrays, necessitate the development of specialized programs or tools for accurate hydrodynamic simulations. Furthermore, shared mooring systems are an effective means of reducing the costs associated with the array-based development of AMBWECs. Finally, the current challenges and future trends in the advancement of AMBWEC technology are discussed. • A comprehensive review of articulated multi-body wave energy converters (AMBWECs) is presented. • Structural types, working principles, and hydrodynamic analysis methods of AMBWECs are systematically summarized. • The nonlinear coupling effects between AMBWECs and mooring systems are identified as key modeling challenges. • AMBWECs demonstrate superior configurability and scalability compared to single-body WECs. • Future research directions include shared mooring design, advanced simulation tools, and hybrid energy integration.