Hydrodynamic response of a jacket-frame mounted WEC sub-system of a novel hybrid wind-wave energy converter

A sustainable exploitation of offshore wind and wave energy resources is crucial for the consolidation of both industries in a global scenario of climate change and rising threats to the marine environment. In this context, and with the shared challenge for both industries to reduce costs, the combination of wind and wave technologies has emerged. In particular, this research deals with a novel hybrid system that integrates an OWC WEC with a jacket-frame mounted offshore wind turbine. The hydrodynamic response of the OWC when attached to a jacket-frame offshore wind substructure was investigated by means of physical modelling. A 1/50 model was tested in Plymouth University’s COAST laboratory. The Wave Hub site, a 50 m depth wave energy test centre in the North coast of Cornwall, was considered for selecting the wave conditions. Based on the results from the experimental campaign, the interaction between the device and the wave field, and the effect of the different model and damping configurations on the device performance are analysed. These results form the basis for an initial evaluation of this novel concept and for its future development.