ABSTRACT
The proposed work aims to prove the capability of the DualSPHysics numerical code to deal with the interaction of slamming waves with a Wave Energy Converter (WEC). In particular, the analysed device is a point-absorber that consists of a cylindrical heaving-buoy equipped with an air damper in order to reproduce the effect of the Power Take-Off (PTO) system. Numerical vertical displacement of the cylinder under regular waves is found to be in good agreement with experimental data for different PTO systems. Different scenarios are considered to compute the loads of focused waves acting on the device with its PTO system set on hold. The yield criterion is used to determine that keeping the WEC fixed at still water level is the worst-case scenario and submerging the heaving buoy deep enough is the best-case scenario.
