Numerical Modelling of a Heaving Point Absorber in Front of a Vertical Wall

The hydrodynamic performance of a heaving point absorber as a wave energy converter near a large body is studied through numerical modeling. First the study is performed for an individual point absorber in the absence of large structure and the results are compared with the results available in the literature. Next, the performance of a point absorber floating in the vicinity of a large body, which is considered as a fixed vertical wall, is investigated. The efficiency of the power absorption in regular and irregular seas is examined based on different floater sizes, floater shapes, drafts, wave heading angle and positioning of the floater. Numerical simulations are based on hydrodynamic forces and coefficients, obtained with the commercial software WAMIT.