Wave Fields around Wave Energy Converter Arrays

Wave energy converters, by their nature, extract large amounts of energy<br/>from incident waves. If the industry is to progress such that wave energy<br/>becomes a significant provider of power in the future, large wave farms will<br/>be required. Presently, consenting for these sites is a long and problematic<br/>process, mainly due to a lack of knowledge of the potential environmental<br/>impacts. Accurate numerical modelling of the effect of wave energy extraction<br/>on the wave field and subsequent evaluation of changes to coastal<br/>processes is therefore required. Modelling the wave field impact is also<br/>necessary to allow optimum wave farm configurations to be determined.<br/>This thesis addresses the need for more accurate representation of wave<br/>energy converters in numerical models so that the effect on the wave field,<br/>and subsequently the coastal processes, may be evaluated. Using a hybrid<br/>of physical and numerical modelling (MIKE21 BW and SW models) the<br/>effect of energy extraction and operation of a WEC array on the local wave<br/>climate has been determined.<br/>The main outcomes of the thesis are: an improved wave basin facility, in<br/>terms of wave climate homogeneity, reducing the standard deviation of wave<br/>amplitude by up to 50%; experimental measurement of the wave field around<br/>WEC arrays, showing that radiated waves account for a significant proportion<br/>of the wave disturbance; a new representation method of WECs for use<br/>with standard numerical modelling tools, validated against experimental<br/>results.<br/>The methodology and procedures developed here allow subsequent evaluation<br/>of changes to coastal processes and sediment transport due to WEC<br/>arrays.