Abstract
A point absorber (PA) is one of the commercially produced wave energy converters (WECs) globally, owing to its small size compared to larger wavefronts and ease of design. A narrow-banded system works best when it resonates with the surrounding waves. However, the high frequency of such a system makes it difficult to gain maximum power output. Thus, a second body attached to the primary body helps to bring the frequency down by increasing the system's mass. This paper studies two types of PA-WECs: a single-body PA and a two-body PA, where a submerged spherical mass is attached to the float at a certain depth with the help of a tether. The hydrodynamic parameters consist of radiation damping coefficient, added mass, and excitation forces, and they are determined using ANSYS AQWA, a boundary element method (BEM) based software. The PA displacement and produced power are calculated using mid-fidelity software, WEC-Sim, based on Simulink. The effect of adding a submerged mass to the single floating buoy and the variation of the damping coefficient on power production is understood.