Three-dimensional CFD simulation of a circular OWC with a nonlinear power-takeoff: Model validation and a discussion on resonant sloshing inside the pneumatic chamber

Abstract This study presents a three-dimensional numerical simulation of a circular bottom-sitting OWC device for wave energy extraction. The numerical model is based on Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes equations with a modified k-ω turbulence model and a Volume-of-Fluid method to track the air-water surface. The numerical model and setup are validated against a set of wave-flume experimental results. The numerical simulation provides detailed flow-field information, which allows for an analysis of the spatial non-uniformity inside the OWC chamber and the measurement error associated with it. New numerical results show that vortex shedding at the sharp edge of the OWC chamber enhances the spatial non-uniformity inside the OWC chamber through a resonant sloshing mechanism. The enhanced spatial non-uniformity can affect the accuracy of the experimentally-determined quantities such as the extraction efficiency of the OWC chamber and the characteristics of the power take-off device; Suggestions are also provided to improve the accuracy of the experimentally-determined quantities that may be affected by the spatial non-uniformity inside the OWC chamber.