The Effect of Structural and Material Modifications on Oscillating Water Column (OWC) Efficiency: A Computational Analysis

School Name

Spring Valley High School

Grade Level

10th Grade

Presentation Topic

Engineering

Presentation Type

Non-Mentored

Abstract

Alternative or renewable sources of energy, such as wave energy, are used by new technologies rather than non-renewable sources. Oscillating water columns (OWC) are wave energy converters (WEC) known for their effectiveness. Developments in the geometry and materials, such as dielectric elastomers, are significant to the performance of OWCs. The purpose of this study was to computationally determine whether enhancements such as stainless steel and dielectric elastomer generators (DEG) would increase the capture width ratio (CWR) of a pre-existing model and to compare the power outputs (kWh) extracted from the proposed device. It was hypothesized that the average values of CWR and power outputs would increase for the proposed device when compared to the unmodified device as a result of fluid flow behavior on Alloy 2507 (UNS S32750) and the resulting air intake on the DEG device. The proposed model was a floating V-shaped L-shaped OWC with the backward-bent-duct-buoy (BBDB) configuration (V-BBDB). Four cubic chambers were situated on top of the horizontal chamber, and the triangular-shaped chambers were angled at 79.6°. The rest of the structure contained UNS S32205 for simplicity. The outer walls were 200 mm thick, which would result in the structure to sink. It was discovered that the primary cause of the error was linked to Archimedes’ Principle, where the buoyancy provided by the buoy chambers was insufficient to support the weight of the device, altering the performance of the device. It would be beneficial to use thinner walls to maintain the efficiency of the OWC.

Location

Furman Hall 201

Start Date

3-28-2026 10:15 AM

Presentation Format

Oral and Written

Group Project

No

COinS
 
Mar 28th, 10:15 AM

The Effect of Structural and Material Modifications on Oscillating Water Column (OWC) Efficiency: A Computational Analysis

Furman Hall 201

Alternative or renewable sources of energy, such as wave energy, are used by new technologies rather than non-renewable sources. Oscillating water columns (OWC) are wave energy converters (WEC) known for their effectiveness. Developments in the geometry and materials, such as dielectric elastomers, are significant to the performance of OWCs. The purpose of this study was to computationally determine whether enhancements such as stainless steel and dielectric elastomer generators (DEG) would increase the capture width ratio (CWR) of a pre-existing model and to compare the power outputs (kWh) extracted from the proposed device. It was hypothesized that the average values of CWR and power outputs would increase for the proposed device when compared to the unmodified device as a result of fluid flow behavior on Alloy 2507 (UNS S32750) and the resulting air intake on the DEG device. The proposed model was a floating V-shaped L-shaped OWC with the backward-bent-duct-buoy (BBDB) configuration (V-BBDB). Four cubic chambers were situated on top of the horizontal chamber, and the triangular-shaped chambers were angled at 79.6°. The rest of the structure contained UNS S32205 for simplicity. The outer walls were 200 mm thick, which would result in the structure to sink. It was discovered that the primary cause of the error was linked to Archimedes’ Principle, where the buoyancy provided by the buoy chambers was insufficient to support the weight of the device, altering the performance of the device. It would be beneficial to use thinner walls to maintain the efficiency of the OWC.