DSA Continues to Support IEA-OES Task 10 Wave Energy Converter Modelling Verification and Validation.
Calculating the effects of wind, waves, and currents on devices in the ocean is complex. We know the value of numerical modelling that reduces risks in physical prototyping. How do you know your software’s calculations are right? One way to ensure that your software is producing expected results is through cross-validation and comparison with different analysis programs.
DSA is pleased to continue our participation in an international group of experts that been working together on the validation of numerical modelling tools for wave energy converters (or WECs) under the Ocean Energy Systems (OES) Technology Collaboration Programme of the International Energy Agency.
The initial results published in a joint paper prepared by 13 countries and over 20 companies with experts from academia and industry was presented at the European Wave and Tidal Energy Conference (EWTEC), held in Cork (Ireland) in late August 2017. Focused on ocean energy, EWTEC is an international technical conference with attendees and contributors from both academic and industry.
Phase two of the project is about the launch, and it will incorporate validation aspects using experimental test data from the US Navy wave test facility, MASK basin.
In this second phase, DSA and the group are looking to further improve their confidence and the accuracy of numerical models for wave energy converters and to identify future research needs.
“At what point do you realize there is a problem? It becomes costly, quickly, to learn lessons while putting steel in the water,” cautions DSA CTO, Ryan Nicoll. “Cross-validation of numerical models is one way to find out much earlier if there is a discrepancy. Critical initiatives like the IEA-OES Task 10 allow international experts to compare their analysis capabilities and ensure our independently derived calculations make sense,” notes Nicoll. “We are grateful to represent Canada with our colleagues from Cascadia Coast Research and engage with such an esteemed international group.”
Participation in Task 10 is voluntary; the Canadian Government provides registration fees for participating Canadian companies.
An overview of findings achieved by the international team so far is summarized here.
PARTICIPATING COMPANIES
- Aalborg University, Denmark
- ANSYS, USA
- BCAM, Spain
- Cascadia Coast Research, Canada
- Chalmers University, Sweden
- DSA, Canada
- EC Nantes, France
- EDRMedeso, Norway
- Floating Power Plant, Denmark
- Glosten, USA
- Hawaii Natural Energy Institute, USA
- INNOSEA, France
- KRISO, South Korea
- KTH, Sweden
- MARIN, Netherlands
- Plymouth University UK
- Queen’s University Belfast, UK
- Technical University of Denmark
- Tecnalia, Spain
- University College Cork, Ireland
- Wave Venture, UK
- WavEC, Portugal
ABOUT THE OES
Ocean Energy Systems (OES), also known as the Technology Collaboration Programme on Ocean Energy Systems, is an intergovernmental collaboration between countries, which operates under a framework established by the International Energy Agency in Paris. Presently, the OES has 24 member countries and the European Commission with a number of other observer countries in the process of joining.