Numerical analysis of the hydrodynamic scaling effects for the Wavestar wave energy converter

Abstract Scaled model tests are an important step during the research and development of wave energy converters (WECs). While such scaled model tests in physical wave tanks are prone to undesired scaling effects due to e.g. mechanical artefacts and/or fluid effects, numerical wave tanks (NWTs) provide excellent tools for the analysis of WECs across a range of scales, overcoming the limitations of the physical test environment. Simultaneous scaling based on the Froude and Reynolds number is achievable in physical wave tanks only with significant effort, whereas NWTs allow the adjustment of fluid properties, such as viscosity, in an easy manner, thereby catering for Froude and Reynolds similarity. This study exploits the capabilities of a high-fidelity, computational fluid dynamics based, NWT and investigates the hydrodynamic scaling effects for the heaving buoy Wavestar WEC. Various test cases, relevant for WEC applications and with progressively increasing complexity, are considered to develop a comprehensive understanding of the scaling effects. Results show that significant scaling effects occur for the viscous component of the hydrodynamic loads on the WEC hull, while the system dynamics and total (viscous + pressure) loads are relatively unaffected by scaling effects.