Abstract
This manuscript focuses on the geometry optimization of a two-body heaving point absorber (HPA) wave energy converter (WEC) in the time domain based on the long-term wave climate of the Oman Gulf. Linear potential flow theory numerical simulations and the Moth Flame Optimization (MFO) technique are integrated to enhance the performance of the considered WEC according to the most probable sea states of the considered location. The sea states are considered by analyzing the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) ERA5 reanalysis dataset from 2000 to 2020. Two different geometry cases and their combinations are used for each floating and submerged body of the WEC. A hydraulic power-take-off (PTO) system is used to convert the WEC’s oscillation into useful electrical power. Each WEC performance is evaluated separately, and the optimized one is selected based on the power performance criteria. Furthermore, the configuration of the PTO parameters is optimized to improve the WEC’s efficiency. The optimization process results reveal that the WEC with a cylindrical truncated cone floating body and spherical submerged body outperforms other considered geometry cases. The hydraulic PTO optimization increases the WECs’ efficiency up to two times. Moreover, among the geometrical variables, the radius of the floating body and the submerged body’s submerged depth substantially affect the WEC’s output power.