Validation and verification of numerical model for simulation of the operating principle of the oscillating water column

Abstract

Initially, the present work presents the validation of a computational model using the Ar Methodology for the numerical simulation of a converter of energy from sea waves into electrical energy of the Oscillating Water Column (OWC) type, through experimental results of a turbulent flow over a descending step; characteristic that resembles the flow of air inside an OWC device. Subsequently, the model was verified with the numerical results produced in a study where the turbulent air flow over the descending step was simulated and their validation was also performed with the experimental data used in the validation of the present study. The model that uses standard κ − ε for turbulence, the Enhanced Wall Function as the wall function and the SIMPLE for the pressure-velocity coupling, reached a processing time of approximately 30 min and presented an mean value of MAE of 1.25% in the validation and 2.53% in the verification, being MAE the mean absolute error.