ABSTRACT
Deployment of WEC (wave energy converter) devices into large arrays or farms is necessary when moving into commercial stages. The arrays can be deployed in nearshore or further offshore zones, depending on the type of the devices. A WEC device in an array is not only subject to ambient incident waves, but also to waves that are reflected and radiated from the other WECs. Chapter 8 presents a sophisticated hybrid methodology, combining interaction theory and the boundary element method, which is more efficient than conventional numerical methods. The diffraction transfer matrix, radiation characteristics, and force transfer matrix are calculated by BEM in advance for a single device in isolation. Applying interaction theory, the wave potentials can be expanded as a Fourier series, in which the expansion coefficients are solved from the resultant linear algebraic system. Wave forces on each device and the interaction factor of the array are thereby evaluated in a very straightforward manner. A case study of hemispherical point absorbers is given at the end. The methodology described in this chapter is expected to be promising for a WEC farm of generic device geometries.
