Abstract:
An approach named Oscillating Water Column (OWC) uses wave energy to
produce electricity. It functions by taking advantage of the pressure
oscillation caused by waves in the OWC's opening mouth. A turbine
positioned at the summit of the OWC structure is used to extract the
oscillation of the pressured air. As the component that directs airflow towards
the turbine, the orientation and condition are vital to the energy conversion
process. The system's efficiency and performance can be significantly
impacted by the design of this component. Studying the effects of this design
on the power output form is the objective of this paper. Moreover, the result
will be compared with the conventional Bend Duct Buoy (BDB). The OWC
performance is analysed using Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) software
to identify which BDB has high efficiency. Autodesk Inventor is used to
design the OWC devices modified from the basis design. Then these designs
are imported into CFD software to simulate and obtain the energy extraction
result. The CFD software is chosen to simulate the hydrodynamics problem.
In this study, the backward bend duct buoy shows significant improvement in
the energy extraction performance compared to the basis design. The
moving backward managed to produce highest efficiency at all wave
condition at the wave height of 0.09, 0.15, and 0.18 m, respectively.
