MODELLING OF THE IMPACT OF A WAVE FARM ON NEARSHORE SEDIMENT TRANSPORT

Raul Gonzalez, Qingping Zou, Shunqi Pan

Abstract


This paper presents the results from an integrated modelling system investigating the effects of a wave farm on nearshore sediment transport. Wave Hub project is a large scale demonstration site for the development of the operation of arrays of wave energy generation devices located at the southwest coast of the UK where multiple field measurements took place. The two-way coupled SWAN and ROMS models with nested modelling system were set up at the Wave Hub site and run with and without a wave farm. The model results show that the presence of the wave farm has significant impacts on the nearshore circulation, bed shear stresses and sediment transport. The morphological changes are also altered by the wave farm. The study is the key element for the wave resource characterization and environmental impact assessment of the wave farm.

Keywords


wave-current interaction, renewable energy, ROMS, SWAN, sediment transport, Wave Hub

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