The hydrodynamics of an offshore stationary platform consisting of four cylindrical Oscillating Water Column (OWC) Wave Energy Converters (WECs) are considered in this paper. Based on the potential flow theory, a second-order Higher-Order Boundary Element Method (HOBEM) model is developed to simulate the wave interaction with the multi-OWC platform in time domain. Laboratory tests of a carefully instrumented scale model are also conducted, and the results from the two methods are compared for the validation. It is found that the linear model overestimates the relative capture width of the OWC device by approximately 10% around the resonant frequency. Subsequently, the hydrodynamic properties of the multi-OWC platform are investigated systematically in terms of the air pressure and free surface oscillations in the chamber, as well as the relative capture width. The isolated cylindrical OWC device is also considered for the comparison. The effects of the incident wave direction, the column and row spacing between the OWC devices are explored. The surface elevation distribution inside and around the OWC device is discussed. The occurrence of the maximum free surface elevation inside the chambers is found to lag behind the crest of the incident wave. The optimum angle of wave incidence in terms of energy capture is β = 0, i.e. multi-OWC platform aligned with the incoming waves. A strategic design of the column and row spacing can lead to a significant improvement for capturing wave energy.

本文考虑了由四个圆柱状振荡水柱（OWC）波能转换器（WEC）组成的海上固定平台的流体动力学。基于势流理论，建立了二阶高阶边界元方法（HOBEM）模型，以在时域内模拟与多OWC平台的波相互作用。还进行了仔细测量的比例模型的实验室测试，并比较了两种方法的结果以进行验证。发现线性模型在谐振频率附近高估了OWC器件的相对捕获宽度约10％。随后，系统针对腔室中的气压和自由表面振动系统地研究了多OWC平台的流体力学特性，以及相对捕获宽度。比较中还考虑了隔离的圆柱形OWC设备。探索了入射波方向，OWC设备之间的列和行间距的影响。讨论了OWC设备内部和周围的表面标高分布。发现腔室内最大自由表面高度的出现滞后于入射波的波峰。就能量捕获而言，最佳的波入射角为 发现腔室内最大自由表面高度的出现滞后于入射波的波峰。就能量捕获而言，最佳的波入射角为 发现腔室内最大自由表面高度的出现滞后于入射波的波峰。就能量捕获而言，最佳的波入射角为β  = 0，即与入射波对准的多OWC平台。列和行间距的策略性设计可以显着改善捕获波能的能力。