In this study we develop an analytical model in order to optimize and further understand the physical mechanisms behind the proposed hybrid breakwater design which incorporates a wave energy converter into a slotted breakwater. The theory is governed by linear potential flow with a non-linear pressure drop boundary condition at the internal air-water interface of the oscillating water column (OWC) air chamber. The slotted breakwater is also modeled with a pressure drop boundary condition, however a linear implementation is used as existing studies (Suh et al., 2006) show sufficient applicability of the linear model. A dimensional analysis was performed to determine important parameters.

Here we propose a hybrid breakwater design which incorporates a wave energy converter into a slotted breakwater. We combine a well studied wave energy converter known as an Oscillating water column or OWC with a slotted breakwater. Results show that by combining these two energy dissipating mechanisms can lead to significant improvements in the energy extraction of the OWC, while also improving the breakwater in terms of blocking waves from entering the harbor. For more details feel free to have a look at our journal publication: “A Dual-Function Design of a Slotted Breakwater with a Rectangular Oscillating Water Column: A Wave-flume Study” published in Energies.

Here is a list of my journal and conference publications. You can also find these in Google Scholar or Researchgate.

Reyes, C.C.M., Walker, M., Huang, Z., Cross. P. (2024). A Dual-Function Design of a Slotted Breakwater with a Rectangular Oscillating Water Column: A Wave-flume Study. Energies.

Huang, Z., Walker, M., Reyes, C.C.M. (2024). An Experimental Study of a Dual-Function Slotted Barrier Integrated with an Oscillating Water Column for Wave Energy Extraction and Shore Protection. Proceedings of the 43rd International Conference on Ocean, Offshore and Arctic Engineering (OMAE 2024). Singapore, Singapore. June 2024.