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Engineering and technology
- Coastal and estuarine hydraulics
- Energy generation, conversion and storage engineering not elsewehere classified
- Hydrodynamics
Moored floating structures have wide applications in coastal and offshore engineering, such as floating offshore wind turbines and Wave Energy Converters (WECs) from the field of Marine Renewable Energy (MRE). Mooring systems, and in the case of WECs, a controlled power take-off (PTO) represent a considerable part of the total cost of these technologies and influence their dynamics. Hence it is crucial to accurately and cost-efficiently model their behaviour. However, a non-linear numerical platform that is able to deal with: complex geometries and motions of WECs and MRE technologies under operational and extreme sea states, with accurate modelling of mooring lines, of the PTO and of global control strategy for WEC arrays, does not yet exist. In the here proposed research this will be achieved by employing an integrated numerical platform based on Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) methods. The developed SPH platform will be validated with pioneering WEC array experimental data from the ‘WECfarm' experiments, where up to 5 WECs will be tested at the Coastal & Ocean Basin (Ostend, BE). The main objectives of the proposed research aim to cover current knowledge gaps that hamper further development and commercialisation of MRE emerging technologies. Results' valorisation will be achieved through scientific dissemination and interaction with academic and industrial players from the MRE and offshore sectors who have direct interest in the outcome of this fundamental research.