Numerical analysis on optimal profile of floating device with OWC type wave energy converter

A floating type wave power generating system has an Oscillating Water Column (OWC). The device captures the wave energy using the heaving, pitching and surging motion of the device and the heaving motion of OWC. The investigations are motivated by the experiments and the numerical analyses to find another possibility different from OWC type floating device, e.g. Mighty Whale of Japan Marine Science and Technology Center. The numerical method for analyzing a floating body with OWC type wave energy conversion device is introduced where the eigenfunction expansion method is described under the condition that the linear water wave theory is applicable. It is confirmed that these solutions give good agreement with the several experimental results in the previous paper. The optimal profiles are eliminated according to the different conditions from the high efficiency, i.e. the minimum size per a unit power and so on. The investigations are established by many calculations, and the optimal load damping coefficient is solved. In this way we can obtain the optimal profiles considered for the construction cost.