Novel computational fluid dynamics-finite element analysis solution for the study of flexible material wave energy converters
Novel computational fluid dynamics-finite element analysis solution for the study of flexible material wave energy converters
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柔性材料波能转换器研究的新型计算流体力学-有限元分析方法
DOI：
10.1063/5.0160328
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发表时间：
2023-08
影响因子：
4.6
通讯作者：
Yang Huang;Q. Xiao;G. Idarraga;Liu Yang;S. Dai;Farhad Abad;F. Brennan;S. Lotfian
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Yang Huang;Q. Xiao;G. Idarraga;Liu Yang;S. Dai;Farhad Abad;F. Brennan;S. Lotfian
柔性材料作为波浪能转换器的原动机和动力输出装置，具有提高波浪能转换器的可靠性、生存性和转换效率的潜力，近年来引起了人们的广泛关注。虽然已有一些降阶模型被用于研究柔性波能转换器的流固耦合响应，但由于其精度和适用范围有限，这些模型并不合适。为了更深入地了解fWEC中的物理机制，需要高保真的方法。在这项工作中，我们建立了一个基于计算流体力学和有限元分析方法的流固耦合分析框架。采用有限体积法求解三维非定常Navier-Stokes方程，求解不可压粘性流动。考虑柔性材料的非线性特性，采用有限元法求解结构动力学问题。强耦合策略用于增强迭代过程的数值稳定性和收敛性。我们证明，目前的FSI工具是能够提供丰富的流场信息和结构响应的细节，如速度，压力和结构应力分布。这是通过几个案例研究，包括两种类型的fWEC说明。非定常波结构相互作用和相关的非线性现象也准确地捕捉到这个工具。
The use of flexible materials for primary mover and power takeoff of wave energy converters (WECs) has attracted considerable attention in recent years, owing to their potential to enhance the reliability, survivability, and wave energy conversion efficiency. Although some reduced order models have been used to study the fluid–structure interaction (FSI) responses of flexible wave energy converters (fWECs), they are somehow inappropriate due to their limited accuracy and applicability span. To gain a deeper understanding of the physical mechanisms in fWECs, a high-fidelity approach is required. In this work, we build up a fluid–structure interaction analysis framework based on computational fluid dynamics and a finite element analysis method. The incompressible viscous flow is resolved by solving three-dimensional unsteady Navier–Stokes equations with a finite volume approach. The structure dynamics are solved by a finite element method, taking the nonlinear behavior of flexible material into consideration. A strong coupling strategy is utilized to enhance the numerical stability and convergence of the iterative process. We demonstrate the present FSI tool is able to provide rich flow field information and structural response details, such as the velocity, pressure, and structural stress distribution. This is illustrated through several case studies, including two types of fWECs. The unsteady wave–structure-interaction and the associated nonlinear phenomena are also accurately captured by this tool.