Abstract: The present paper presents experimental results for work carried out on an array of OWCPs and its wider application to OWC arrays installed onshore.
The aim of the present paper is to investigate the interaction between different elements in an array of multiple wave energy converters. For this purpose, physical experiments on a simple wave energy converter were carried. These allowed for the evaluation of the mutual interaction between the devices and for a wider analysis of the effect of the chamber width.
The proposed concept offers the possibility to evaluate the employment of differently tuned devices and reduce the need of optimum resonant and damping control to improve performance in the absorption and conversion of wave energy.
Experimental results showed how installing differently tuned devices in array widens the wave period range for which higher efficiency can be reached and reduces the need for resonance control within the system. The influence of the geometrical layout is assessed for an array of 3 closely spaced onshore wave energy converters. Positive effects are found in the disposition of the device, suggesting improvements can be achieved for onshore devices.
