Abstract: The combined hydrodynamic-aerodynamic system of an Oscillating Water Column (OWC) wave energy converter is subjected to numerical optimisation of a complete system model, for both a Wells and an impulse turbine, in an attempt to achieve a satisfactory level of performance.
Limitations of the adaptability of turbines to meet the system requirements are identified by comparing simultaneous complete system optimisation with sequential system optimisation of the central system components along the power conversion chain.
An improved description of the turbine power conversion requirements, by means of an instantaneous aerodynamic power distribution, is proposed to provide a simpler assessment of the suitability of the turbine type and the particular turbine design to the plant operational conditions. This also facilitates a better combination of empirical turbine development and overall system simulations, design and optimisation.
Finally, a central aspect of the diverse discrepancies between the in situ operational conditions and the empirical turbine development settings is discussed.
