Chapter Numerical Wave Tanks for Wave Energy Converters Using High-Performance Computing

Abstract

Numerical Wave Tanks (NWTs) powered by Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and High-Performance Computing (HPC) offer a cost-effective and flexible alternative to physical wave tanks. They are essential for simulating complex wave phenomena and wave-structure interaction. This research explores the assessment of NWT reliability, particularly in HPC environments, using OpenFOAM, an open-source CFD toolbox. OpenFOAM's parallel processing capabilities leverage HPC to achieve accurate and efficient simulations of wave dynamics, crucial for optimizing wave energy converter designs and advancing renewable energy generation. HPC reduces execution time, enabling more comprehensive simulations and faster design optimization, ultimately accelerating progress in wave energy technologies. The study demonstrates OpenFOAM's suitability for NWT simulations while acknowledging the need for validation and optimization of grid and discretization methods.