Evaluation of wave energy absorption by heaving point absorbers at various hot spots in Iran seas

Ever-increasing energy demand has motivated the energy researchers to seek alternative sources. Ocean wave energy is a promising candidate of renewable energy, holding great potential for contribution to power demands when converted to different forms of usable energy. Iran has long marine boundaries and hence, has excellent marine energy resources which makes it a suitable place for harvesting wave energy in near future. According to previous studies, the point absorber systems are the most appropriate converting systems to be applied in Iran seas. Consequently, two different geometries of point absorbers are investigated at different energy hot spots in Iran seas with the aim of finding out the best location for utilizing the point absorber system. The effects of the buoy draft and diameter are also studied to determine the maximum power absorption. In this context, hydrodynamic parameters are obtained using a boundary element solver package, ANSYS AQWA. After validating the numerical method, it is found that the cone-cylinder buoy slightly performs better than hemisphere-cylinder shape and as the diameter increases, the power absorption enhances. This trend is reverse for the buoy draft. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.