Experimental and numerical analysis of energy and hydrodynamic pressure in channel flow induced through a water wave generation system

Abstract

Wave energy has been gaining increasing significance among renewable energy sources due to its continuity and predictable nature. In engineering applications within this field, it is essential to evaluate not only free surface behavior but also subsurface flow structures, pressure gradients ( ), and acceleration fields. In the experimental setup, wave surface elevations generated by a hydraulic servo system (HSS) with a stroke length of 50 mm and a frequency of 1 Hz were recorded in real-time at 0.1 ms intervals using a wave probe. Additionally, the measured free surface wave behavior was compared with numerical results obtained through three-dimensional (3D) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis. The numerical simulations were conducted using the volume of fluid (VOF) method and the SST k-ω turbulence model based on the Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (URANS) approach in ANSYS Fluent 2023 R2. The inlet boundary conditions were defined as time-dependent through a user-defined function (UDF). A convergence rate of approximately 94% was achieved between the experimental and numerical free surface elevations. Velocity fields (m/s), static and dynamic pressure contours (Pa), and pressure gradient ( ) (Pa/m) distributions obtained from the numerical model were analyzed in detail. The findings indicate the formation of energy accumulation zones during wave crest-trough transitions and reveal increased load transfers associated with subsurface load distributions and acceleration.

Keywords

• Wave energy
• CFD
• renewable energy
• hydrodynamics

References

1. [1] Zullah MA, Prasad D, Ahmed MR, Lee YH. Performance analysis of a wave energy converter using numerical simulation technique. Sci China Technol Sci 2010; 53(1): 13-18.
2. [2] Gao H, Li B. Establishment of motion model for wave capture buoy and research on hydrodynamic performance of floating-type wave energy converter. Polish Maritime Research 2015; 22(s1): 106-111.
3. [3] Rajapakse G, Jayasinghe S, Fleming A. Power smoothing and energy storage sizing of vented oscillating water column wave energy converter arrays. Energies 2020; 13(5): 1278.
4. [4] Carreno-Luengo H, Camps A. Empirical results of a surface-level GNSS-R experiment in a wave channel. Remote Sensing 2015; 7(6): 7471-7493.
5. [5] Maria-Arenas A, Garrido AJ, Rusu E, Garrido I. Control strategies applied to wave energy converters: state of the art. Energies 2019; 12(16): 3115.
6. [6] Jusoh MA, Ibrahim MZ, Daud MZ, Albani A, Yusop ZM. Hydraulic power take-off concepts for wave energy conversion system: a review. Energies 2019; 12(23): 4510.
7. [7] Giannini G, Rosa-Santos P, Ramos V, Taveira-Pinto F. On the development of an offshore version of the CECO wave energy converter. Energies 2020; 13(5): 1036.
8. [8] Guo B, Ringwood JV. A review of wave energy technology from a research and commercial perspective. IET Renewable Power Generation 2021; 15(14): 3065-3090.

9. [9] Marques Machado FM, Gameiro Lopes AM, Ferreira AD. Numerical simulation of regular waves: optimization of a numerical wave tank. Ocean Engineering 2018; 170: 89-99.
10. [10] Velioglu Sogut D, Sogut E, Farhadzadeh A. Interaction of a solitary wave with an array of macro-roughness elements in the presence of steady currents. Coastal Engineering 2021; 164: 103829.
11. [11] Larsen BE, Fuhrman DR. Simulation of cross-shore breaker bar development utilizing a stabilized two-equation turbulence model. Coastal Engineering 2023; 180: 104269.
12. [12] Yin Z, Yang G, Wang Y, Qiu Q, Jiang X. Numerical simulations of breaking wave propagation through the vegetation on a slope based on a drag coefficient prediction model. Ocean Engineering 2024; 291: 116440.
13. [13] Li Y, Larsen BE, Fuhrman DR. Reynolds stress turbulence modelling of surf zone breaking waves. J Fluid Mech 2022; 937: A7.
14. [14] Chen F, Duan D, Han Q, Yang X, Zhao F. Study on force and wave energy conversion efficiency of buoys in low wave energy density seas. Energy Conversion and Management 2019; 182: 191-200.
15. [15] Zeinali S, Wiktorsson M, Forsberg J, Lindgren G, Lindström J. Optimizing the hydraulic power take-off system in a wave energy converter. Ocean Engineering 2024; 310: 118636.
16. [16] Blaser A, Benamran R, Bôas ABV, Lenain L, Pizzo N. Momentum, energy and vorticity balances in deep-water surface gravity waves. J Fluid Mech 2024; 997: A55.
17. [17] Sumer BM, Kirca VO. Flow through the Bosphorus. Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering 2025; 151(3): 04025010.
18. [18] Mattson JE. An introduction to Ansys Fluent 2022, Sec. Cavitation Modeling. SDC Publications, First Ed., Mission, Kansas, USA, 2022, Ch. 6, pp. 123-141.
19. [19] Yamaç HI, Koca A, Yılmaz T. Using computational fluid dynamics for wave generation and evaluation of results in numerical wave tank modelling. Firat University Journal of Experimental and Computational Engineering 2022; 1(1): 31-42.
20. [20] Kaya S, Kuscuoglu A, Kilic GA. Structural safety assessment of a piston-type wavemaker under varying frequency and stroke conditions. Results in Engineering 2026; 31: 111580.
21. [21] ElCheikh A, ElKhoury M. Effect of local grid refinement on performance of scale-resolving models for simulation of complex external flows. Aerospace 2019; 6(8): 86.
22. [22] Kilic GA, Yalcin E, Aydin AA. Optimum operating temperature range of phase change materials used in cold storage applications: a case study. In: Dincer I, Colpan C, Ezan M (eds) Environmentally-Benign Energy Solutions. Green Energy and Technology. Springer, Cham, 2020.
23. [23] Kilic GA, Yalcin E, Aydin AA. Experimental analysis of a cold store integrated with phase change material: a case study. Bulgarian Chemical Communications 2016; 48: 195-198.
24. [24] Kowalewski TA. Validation problems in computational fluid mechanics. Computer Assisted Mechanics and Engineering Sciences 2011; 18: 39-52.
25. [25] Castro-Orgaz O, Chanson H. Bernoulli theorem, minimum specific energy, and water wave celerity in open-channel flow. Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering 2009; 135(6): 773-778.
26. [26] Jusoh MA, Ibrahim MZ, Daud MZ, Yusop ZM, Albani A. An estimation of hydraulic power take-off unit parameters for wave energy converter device using non-evolutionary NLPQL and evolutionary GA approaches. Energies 2020; 14(1): 79.
27. [27] Silva D, Rusu E, Soares CG. Evaluation of various technologies for wave energy conversion in the Portuguese nearshore. Energies 2013; 6(3): 1344-1364.
28. [28] Santos Lopez Gutierrez J, et al. Wave energy conversion through oscillating water columns: a review. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 2024; 12(2): 342.