STSM at Aalborg University, Denmark

In April 2021, four Short Term Scientific Missions (STSMs) were conducted at the wave basin of Aalborg University. Working Group 2 leader Dr. Francesco Ferri from Aalborg University hosted Bono De Witte, Hendrik Claerbout, Louis De Beule and Timothy Vervaet from Ghent University. From 12-18 April 2021, the first WECfarm Wave Energy Converter was toroughly tested for the first time in a wave basin. Among the conducted tests are: System identification tests (radiation and excitation), drivetrain friction assessment tests, free decay tests and power absorption tests for the passive damping, reactive and latching control strategy. The outcome of this test campaign allows a full evaluation of the WEC in order to extend the setup to five WECs.

To cover the scientific gap of experimental data necessary for the validation of recently developed (non-linear) numerical models, Ghent
University and its partners have introduced the ’WECfarm’ project. Within the ’WECfarm’ project, an experimental campaign with WEC arrays of up to five real-time controllable heaving point absorbers is planned in the Coastal and Ocean Basin in Ostend, Belgium in 2022.

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This STSM contributes to the objectives of Working Group 2: Experimental hydrodynamic modelling and testing of WECs, WEC arrays/farms, PTO systems, and field testing.

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This work is supported by the the FWO (Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek - Research Foundation Flanders), Belgium, through the following funding: 1) Timothy Vervaet is Ph.D. fellow (fellowship 11A6919N); 2) Vasiliki Stratigaki is a postdoctoral researcher (fellowship 1267321N) and has been granted the ’FWO Research Grant’ for constructing the WEC experimental set-up (FWO-KAN-DPA376).