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At least 109 records · Page 6

Ocean Energy Systems Wave Energy Modeling Task 10.4: Numerical Modeling of a Fixed Oscillating Water Column

This paper reports on an ongoing international effort to establish guidelines for numerical modeling of wave energy converters, initiated by the International Energy Agency Technology Collaboration Program for Ocean Energy Systems. Initial results for point absorbers were presented in previous work, and here we present results for a breakwater-mounted Oscillating Water Column (OWC) device. The experimental model is at scale 1:4 relative to a full-scale installation in a water depth of 12.8 m. The power-extracting air turbine is modeled by an orifice plate of 1–2% of the internal chamber surface area. Measurements of chamber surface elevation, air flow through the orifice, and pressure difference across the orifice are compared with numerical calculations using both weakly-nonlinear potential flow theory and computational fluid dynamics. Both compressible- and incompressible-flow models are considered, and the effects of air compressibility are found to have a significant influence on the motion of the internal chamber surface. Recommendations are made for reducing uncertainties in future experimental campaigns, which are critical to enable firm conclusions to be drawn about the relative accuracy of the numerical models. It is well-known that boundary element method solutions of the linear potential flow problem (e.g., WAMIT) are singular at infinite frequency when panels are placed directly on the free surface. This is problematic for time-domain solutions where the value of the added mass matrix at infinite frequency is critical, especially for OWC chambers, which are modeled by zero-mass elements on the free surface. A straightforward rational procedure is described to replace ad-hoc solutions to this problem that have been proposed in the literature.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗

Computational study of nonlinear plasma waves: 1: Simulation model and monochromatic wave propagation

An economical low noise plasma simulation model is applied to a series of problems associated with electrostatic wave propagation in a one-dimensional, collisionless, Maxwellian plasma, in the absence of magnetic field. The model is described and tested, first in the absence of an applied signal, and then with a small amplitude perturbation, to establish the low noise features and to verify the theoretical linear dispersion relation at wave energy levels as low as 0.000,001 of the plasma thermal energy. The method is then used to study propagation of an essentially monochromatic plane wave. Results on amplitude oscillation and nonlinear frequency shift are compared with available theories. The additional phenomena of sideband instability and satellite growth, stimulated by large amplitude wave propagation and the resulting particle trapping, are described.

Matda, Y.↗

Computational study of nonlinear plasma waves. I - Simulation model and monochromatic wave propagation. II - Sideband instability and satellite growth

A hybrid plasma simulation model is described and applied to the study of electrostatic wave propagation in a one-dimensional Maxwellian plasma with periodic boundary conditions. The model employs a cloud-in-cell scheme which can drastically reduce the fluctuations in particle simulation models and greatly ease the computational difficulties of the Vlasov equation approach. A grid in velocity space is introduced and the particles are represented by points in the x-v phase space. The model is tested first in the absence of an applied signal and then in the presence of a small-amplitude perturbation. The method is also used to study propagation of an essentially monochromatic plane wave. Results on amplitude oscillation and nonlinear frequency shift are compared with available theories.

Matsuda, Y.↗

Macroscopic balance model for wave rotors

A mathematical model for multi-port wave rotors is described. The wave processes that effect energy exchange within the rotor passage are modeled using one-dimensional gas dynamics. Macroscopic mass and energy balances relate volume-averaged thermodynamic properties in the rotor passage control volume to the mass, momentum, and energy fluxes at the ports. Loss models account for entropy production in boundary layers and in separating flows caused by blade-blockage, incidence, and gradual opening and closing of rotor passages. The mathematical model provides a basis for predicting design-point wave rotor performance, port timing, and machine size. Model predictions are evaluated through comparisons with CFD calculations and three-port wave rotor experimental data. A four-port wave rotor design example is provided to demonstrate model applicability. The modeling approach is amenable to wave rotor optimization studies and rapid assessment of the trade-offs associated with integrating wave rotors into gas turbine engine systems.

Welch, Gerard E.↗

A practical method for modeling temporally-averaged ocean wave frequency-directional spectra for characterizing wave energy climates

Wave energy resource characterization investigations have been hindered because frequency-directional wave spectra are not broadly available for many coastal regions due to the insufficient spatial coverage of buoy observation networks and spectral wave model hindcast outputs. We address this problem by developing and validating a practical method for approximating temporally-averaged frequency-directional wave spectra averaged over periods of months or years from bulk wave parameters, which are available at a much greater coverage and resolution than frequency-directional wave spectra. While the temporally averaged frequency-directional wave spectrum over these periods cannot be used for analyzing a single sea state, it aggregates multiple sea states, identifies dominant wave energy systems representing wave climate, and resolves their spectral characteristics. Therefore, modelling temporally averaged frequency-directional wave spectra is of great value for planning and designing wave energy projects, e.g., resource characterization, site assessment, and conceptual design of wave energy converters. Temporally-averaged frequency-directional wave spectra and related important wave energy parameters approximated using this method are found to be more accurate than commonly used parametric wave spectrum models. This method can be applied to a wide range of wave climates given its universality and high accuracy. Also, the availability of bulk wave parameters from multi-decade high-resolution wave model hindcasts is increasing.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗

Evidence for self-refraction in a convergence zone: NPE (Nonlinear progressive wave equation) model results

The nonlinear progressive wave equation (NPE) model was developed by the Naval Ocean Research and Development Activity during 1982 to 1987 to study nonlinear effects in long range oceanic propagation of finite amplitude acoustic waves, including weak shocks. The NPE model was applied to propagation of a generic shock wave (initial condition provided by Sandia Division 1533) in a few illustrative environments. The following consequences of nonlinearity are seen by comparing linear and nonlinear NPE results: (1) a decrease in shock strength versus range (a well-known result of entropy increases at the shock front); (2) an increase in the convergence zone range; and (3) a vertical meandering of the energy path about the corresponding linear ray path. Items (2) and (3) are manifestations of self-refraction.

Mcdonald, B. Edward↗

2.1.1.1.401 - Wave Energy Converter Modeling

The Wave Energy Converter (WEC) Modeling Project began in 2013 with the aim of driving innovation and advancing the state of the wave energy industry by developing publicly available, easy to use software that's customizable to meet end user needs. This project is primarily focused on development of open source software for numerical design and analysis of wave energy converters (WEC), and it also supports international collaboration on standards (IEC TC 114), code verification and validation (IEA OES Task 10) and a competition (WECCCOMP).

MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING,TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗

Coupled wave-current modeling for hydrodynamic load analysis of macroalgae cultivation farms

Large-scale cultivation of macroalgae is one of the most promising biofuel sources that could reduce our consumption of fossil fuels and would be particularly economically competitive when grown for the co-production of additional goods such as food and textiles. Current production of biofuel from algal biomass is limited by labor costs and lack of data on potential impacts of cultivation and harvesting on marine and coastal environments as well as a comprehensive characterization of the impact of environmental conditions on macroalgal feedstock and their bioproduct and biofuel yield and quality. Awarded by the United States (U.S.) Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) Macroalgae Research Inspiring Novel Energy Resources (MARINER) program, which seeks to enable the U.S. as a global leader in the production of marine biomass, the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) has been developing a test system for tropical seaweed cultivation in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. An integral step in designing macroalgae cultivation farms is to adequately characterize the hydrodynamic climate at potential growth sites. In regions like the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, which are highly exposed to tropical cyclones, it is critical to not only consider the day-to-day hydrodynamic conditions but to also assess the risk of extreme sea states to ensure the survivability of future macroalgae farms. Under these considerations, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is providing modeling support for MBL to inform the design and siting of the farm systems that have been proposed for their ARPA-E MARINER project. This report describes the development of a high-resolution coupled storm surge and wave model to simulate the hydrodynamics and wave climate at proposed macroalgae cultivation sites selected by MBL in Florida and Puerto Rico. Model results, including model validation, water level, current distributions, and sea states, are discussed for both selected sites in Florida and Puerto Rico coast. These simulations provide an accurate insight into the hydrodynamic conditions that a macroalgae farm is likely to experience during its operational lifetime, including current information to support fine-scale hydrodynamic load modeling, risk analysis and system design.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Comparison of Numerical Methods for Modeling the Wave Field Effects Generated by Individual Wave Energy Converters and Multiple Converter Wave Farms

This numerical study compares the wave field generated by the spectral wave action balance code, SNL-SWAN, to the linear-wave boundary-element method (BEM) code, WAMIT. The objective of this study is to assess the performance of SNL-SWAN for modeling wave field effects produced by individual wave energy converters (WECs) and wave farms comprising multiple WECs by comparing results from SNL-SWAN with those produced by the BEM code WAMIT. BEM codes better model the physics of wave-body interactions and thus simulate a more accurate near-field wave field than spectral codes. In SNL-SWAN, the wave field’s energy extraction is modeled parametrically based on the WEC’s power curve. The comparison between SNL-SWAN and WAMIT is made over a range of incident wave conditions, including short-, medium-, and long-wavelength waves with various amounts of directional spreading, and for three WEC archetypes: a point absorber (PA), a pitching flap (PF) terminator, and a hinged raft (HR) attenuator. Individual WECs and wave farms of five WECs in various configuration were studied with qualitative comparisons made of wave height and spectra at specific locations, and quantitative comparisons of the wave fields over circular arcs around the WECs as a function of radial distance. Results from this numerical study demonstrate that in the near-field, the difference between SNL-SWAN and WAMIT is relatively large (between 20% and 50%), but in the far-field from the array the differences are minimal (between 1% and 5%). The resultant wave field generated by the two different numerical approaches is highly dependent on parameters such as: directional wave spreading, wave reflection or scattering, and the WEC’s power curve.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗

Wave climate model of the Mid-Atlantic shelf and shoreline (Virginian Sea): Model development, shelf geomorphology, and preliminary results

A computerized wave climate model is developed that applies linear wave theory and shelf depth information to predict wave behavior as they pass over the continental shelf as well as the resulting wave energy distributions along the coastline. Reviewed are also the geomorphology of the Mid-Atlantic Continental Shelf, wave computations resulting from 122 wave input conditions, and a preliminary analysis of these data.

Goldsmith, V.↗

Validation of an Accurate Three-Dimensional Helical Slow-Wave Circuit Model

The helical slow-wave circuit embodies a helical coil of rectangular tape supported in a metal barrel by dielectric support rods. Although the helix slow-wave circuit remains the mainstay of the traveling-wave tube (TWT) industry because of its exceptionally wide bandwidth, a full helical circuit, without significant dimensional approximations, has not been successfully modeled until now. Numerous attempts have been made to analyze the helical slow-wave circuit so that the performance could be accurately predicted without actually building it, but because of its complex geometry, many geometrical approximations became necessary rendering the previous models inaccurate. In the course of this research it has been demonstrated that using the simulation code, MAFIA, the helical structure can be modeled with actual tape width and thickness, dielectric support rod geometry and materials. To demonstrate the accuracy of the MAFIA model, the cold-test parameters including dispersion, on-axis interaction impedance and attenuation have been calculated for several helical TWT slow-wave circuits with a variety of support rod geometries including rectangular and T-shaped rods, as well as various support rod materials including isotropic, anisotropic and partially metal coated dielectrics. Compared with experimentally measured results, the agreement is excellent. With the accuracy of the MAFIA helical model validated, the code was used to investigate several conventional geometric approximations in an attempt to obtain the most computationally efficient model. Several simplifications were made to a standard model including replacing the helical tape with filaments, and replacing rectangular support rods with shapes conforming to the cylindrical coordinate system with effective permittivity. The approximate models are compared with the standard model in terms of cold-test characteristics and computational time. The model was also used to determine the sensitivity of various circuit parameters including typical manufacturing dimensional tolerances and support rod permittivity. By varying the circuit parameters of an accurate model using MAFIA, these sensitivities can be computed for manufacturing concerns, and design optimization previous to fabrication, thus eliminating the need for costly experimental iterations. Several variations were made to a standard helical circuit using MAFIA to investigate the effect that variations on helical tape and support rod width, metallized loading height and support rod permittivity, have on TWT cold-test characteristics.

Kory, Carol L.↗

Velocity-dependent annihilation radiation from dark matter subhalos in cosmological simulations

Here, we use the suite of Milky Way-like galaxies in the Auriga simulations to determine the contribution to annihilation radiation from dark matter subhalos in three velocity-dependent dark matter annihilation models: Sommerfeld, p-wave, and d-wave models. We compare these to the corresponding distribution in the velocity-independent s-wave annihilation model. For both the hydrodynamical and dark-matter-only simulations, only in the case of the Sommerfeld-enhanced annihilation does the total annihilation flux from subhalos exceed the total annihilation flux from the smooth halo component within the virial radius of the halo. Progressing from Sommerfeld to the s, p, and d-wave models, the contribution from the smooth component of the halo becomes more dominant, implying that for the p-wave and d-wave models the smooth component is by far the dominant contribution to the radiation. Comparing to the Galactic center excess observed by Fermi-LAT, for all simulated halos the emission is dominated by the smooth halo contribution. However, it is possible that for Sommerfeld models, extrapolation down to mass scales below the current resolution limit of the simulation would imply a non-negligible contribution to the gamma-ray emission from the Galactic Center region.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Stellar winds driven by Alfven waves

Models of stellar winds were considered in which the dynamic expansion of a corona is driven by Alfven waves propagating outward along radial magnetic field lines. In the presence of Alfven waves, a coronal expansion can exist for a broad range of reference conditions which would, in the absence of waves, lead to static configurations. Wind models in which the acceleration mechanism is due to Alfven waves alone and exhibit lower mass fluxes and higher energies per particle are compared to wind models in which the acceleration is due to thermal processes. For example, winds driven by Alfven waves exhibit streaming velocities at infinity which may vary between the escape velocity at the coronal base and the geometrical mean of the escape velocity and the speed of light. Upper and lower limits were derived for the allowed energy fluxes and mass fluxes associated with these winds.

Belcher, J. W.↗

Review of Wind–Wave Coupling Models for Large-Eddy Simulation of the Marine Atmospheric Boundary Layer

Abstract We present a review of existing wind–wave coupling models and parameterizations used for large-eddy simulation of the marine atmospheric boundary layer. The models are classified into two main categories: (i) the wave-phase-averaged, sea surface–roughness models and (ii) the wave-phase-resolved models. Both categories are discussed from their implementation, validity, and computational efficiency viewpoints, with emphasis given on their applicability in offshore wind energy problems. In addition to the various models discussed, a review of laboratory-scale and field-measurement databases is presented thereafter. The majority of the presented data have been gathered over many decades of studying air–sea interaction phenomena, with the most recent ones compiled to reflect an offshore wind energy perspective. Both provide valuable data for model validation. We also discuss the modeling knowledge gaps and computational challenges ahead.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Rock Valley Accelerated Weight Drop Preliminary P-wave Tomographic Model

An active source experiment using an accelerated weight drop was conducted in Rock Valley, Nevada National Security Site, during the spring of 2021 in order to characterize the shallow seismic structure of the region. P-wave first arrival travel times picked from this experiment were used to construct a preliminary 3-D compressional wave speed model over an area that is roughly 4 km wide east-west and 8 km north-south to a depth of about 500-600 m below the surface, but with primary data concentration along the transects of the experimental lines. The preliminary model shows good correlation with basic geology and surface features, but geological interpretation is not the focus of this report. We describe the methods used in the tomographic inversion of the data and show results from this preliminary P-wave model.

42 ENGINEERING↗

An improved numerical model for wave rotor design and analysis

A numerical model has been developed which can predict both the unsteady flows within a wave rotor and the steady averaged flows in the ports. The model is based on the assumptions of one-dimensional, unsteady, and perfect gas flow. Besides the dominant wave behavior, it is also capable of predicting the effects of finite tube opening time, leakage from the tube ends, and viscosity. The relative simplicity of the model makes it useful for design, optimization, and analysis of wave rotor cycles for any application. This paper discusses some details of the model and presents comparisons between the model and two laboratory wave rotor experiments.

Paxson, Daniel E.↗

An improved numerical model for wave rotor design and analysis

A numerical model has been developed which can predict both the unsteady flows within a wave rotor and the steady averaged flows in the ports. The model is based on the assumptions of one-dimensional, unsteady, and perfect gas flow. Besides the dominant wave behavior, it is also capable of predicting the effects of finite tube opening time, leakage from the tube ends, and viscosity. The relative simplicity of the model makes it useful for design, optimization, and analysis of wave rotor cycles for any application. This paper discusses some details of the model and presents comparisons between the model and two laboratory wave rotor experiments.

Paxson, Daniel E.↗