Abstract
A comprehensive experimental study investigates the efficiency of a newly devised concept of a Floating dual-chamber Oscillating Water Column Wave Energy Converter device. Built upon the previous design of Rezanejad and Guedes Soares (2021), substantial geometrical improvements have been made to enhance its hydrodynamic performance. The study examines the influence of Power Take-Off damping and wave characteristics on its hydrodynamic performance. The experimental results demonstrate a significant increase in hydrodynamic performance across a wide range of sea states compared to the previously designed floating dual-chamber Oscillating Water Column device. Specifically, the new system exhibits an average hydrodynamic performance of 61% in all sea states, representing a 49% improvement over the efficiency of the previous design. Additionally, the research highlights that the device's fore and rear chambers play a dominant role in absorbing wave energy within specific wave period ranges, with their mutual interactions significantly enhancing the overall hydrodynamic performance. This substantial improvement in efficiency underscores the potential of the newly devised device for wave energy conversion applications.