Geometrical Optimization for Improved Power Capture of Multi-Level Overtopping Based Wave Energy Converters

In multi-level wave energy converters the water from incoming waves is stored in reservoirs one on top of the other. Prevision formula for the overtopping flow rates in the individual reservoirs is fundamental for dimensioning correctly the turbines and optimizing the device. Having a number of reservoirs one on top of each other means that the representative overtopping formulae for coastal structures are not sufficient to describe the phenomena. This paper proposes to describe the dependence of the overtopping on a new parameter which is the horizontal distance between the reservoirs or, in other words, the opening between two consecutive reservoirs. 13 different geometries have been tested in 2D irregular waves and a new formulation for prediction of overtopping in multilevel structures is presented.