Abstract: The understanding of wave-current interaction is of increasing interest in the field of coastal and offshore engineering. An area where wave-current interaction is likely to be an important factor is in the development of Marine Current Energy Converters (MCECs). Little has been done to investigate the behaviour of MCECs in unsteady flow caused by wave motion and close proximity of the device to the structure. The additional forces applied to the blades through the action of the waves could very well dictate the structural design of blades as well as the proximity to the water surface.
The forces applied to the blades from waves will not be perpendicular to the blades as with marine currents. The forces will be composed of a more complex circular motion. This repeating oscillation will place additional strain on blades, but if the magnitude of this can be quantified it may permit optimised MCEC devices to be placed nearer to the sea surface allowing manufactures to use larger blade diameters to maximise energy extraction.
