Abstract
The harnessing of wave energy presents a significant avenue for addressing the energy requirements of coastal urban centers, thereby assuming a pivotal role within the landscape of renewable energy strategies. A particularly promising strategy for optimizing the construction of wave energy devices involves the establishment of energy farms, characterized by the strategic deployment of energy converters within predetermined arrays. This approach engenders a synergistic interaction between diffraction and radiation waves, affording heightened efficiency in the deployment of wave energy converters. It necessitates an intricate examination of the intricate interplay between wave interactions engendered by multiple converters. The present study introduces a mathematical framework devised to estimate the energy absorption exhibited by wave energy converters (WECs) operating in vertical oscillatory motion, with the inherent adaptability to extend its application to alternative modes of motion. The dynamics governing the interaction between diffraction and radiation waves manifested by WECs delineate discernible patterns, reflective of constructive or destructive modalities. This investigation scrutinizes the impact of these determinants upon power extraction across arrays featuring two, three, four, and five converters respectively. The task of configuring these converter arrays to optimize both layout and convergence conditions is efficaciously facilitated through the application of a genetic algorithm (GA). The central inquiry addressed within this article pertains to the potential correlation between optimized arrays and preordered patterns. The investigation involves a comparison of the maximum interaction factors derived from both preordered patterns and optimized arrays. Furthermore, the study seeks to ascertain whether such optimized arrays can propose patterns applicable to varying converter quantities. An insightful observation arising from this research is the distinct finding that there exists a scarcity of specific suggested patterns. Importantly, this methodological framework holds the capability to be universally extended to diverse arrays, necessitating only marginal adjustments to the foundational mathematical formulation. The enhancement through array optimization is especially conspicuous in the context of constructive modalities, where the improvement surges to an impressive 19 percent relative to the least optimal array configuration. Importantly, the accuracy and fidelity of the semi-analytical solution employed in this study are substantiated through comprehensive validation against verified direct boundary element method calculations and comparative analyses with experimental results derived from the other works.