Maritime structure integration is widely considered as a potential solution for reducing the high Levelised Cost of Electricity (LCOE) associated with Wave Energy Converter (WEC) technologies. However, the majority of published research has focused on fixed structure integration [1,2], with far fewer investigating the potential for floating structure integration [3]. Expanding on previous works [4,5], this article investigates the performance of a π-type floating breakwater integrated with multiple Oscillating Water Column (OWC) WECs through model scale hydrodynamic experimentation. While under varying structural arrangements including device configurations and motion constraints, the model was subjected to 13 generic irregular wave spectra. Results of the experimental investigation illustrate that OWC device integration provides distinct benefits to the non-dimensional performance parameters of the floating breakwater in irregular sea states, which correlates strongly with the results obtained from previous regular wave analyses [4,5]. With firm correlation between the regular and irregular analyses, it is hypothesized that device development could potentially forgo regular wave investigations in preference of irregular wave testing, as it yields a broader bandwidth of results with reduced temporal requirements. Similarly, it is illustrated that the irregular non-dimensional parameter spectra can be used to effectively predict the performance characteristics of the device across different sea states. This article furthers the concept validation and feasibility of OWC WEC integrated floating breakwaters, and aids in the progression of the concept through the Technology Readiness Levels.

中文翻译：

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多个振荡水柱波浪能转换器集成浮动防波堤在规则海和不规则海中的性能分析

海上结构集成被广泛认为是降低与波浪能转换器 (WEC) 技术相关的高水平电力成本 (LCOE) 的潜在解决方案。然而，大多数已发表的研究都集中在固定结构集成 [1,2] 上，而对浮动结构集成潜力的研究则少得多 [3]。在之前的工作 [4,5] 的基础上，本文通过模型规模的水动力实验研究了与多个振荡水柱 (OWC) WEC 集成的 π 型浮动防波堤的性能。在包括设备配置和运动约束在内的不同结构布置下，该模型受到 13 种通用不规则波谱的影响。实验调查的结果表明，OWC 设备集成为不规则海况下浮动防波堤的无量纲性能参数提供了明显的好处，这与从以前的规则波浪分析中获得的结果密切相关 [4,5]。由于规则分析和不规则分析之间存在牢固的相关性，因此假设设备开发可能会优先考虑不规则波测试而放弃规则波调查，因为它会产生更宽的结果带宽，同时减少时间要求。类似地，说明了不规则的无量纲参数谱可用于有效预测设备在不同海况下的性能特征。