COER Hydrodynamic Modeling Competition: Modeling the Dynamic Response of a Floating Body Using the WEC-Sim and FAST Simulation Tools: Preprint

The Center for Ocean Energy Research at the University of Maynooth in Ireland organized a Hydrodynamic Modeling Competition in conjunction with OMAE2015. Researchers were challenged to predict the dynamic response of a floating rigid body device that was experimentally tested in a series of wave tank tests. Specifically, CORE setup a blind competition, where the device specifications and testtest conditions were released, but the experimental results were kept private until all competition participants submitted their numerical simulation results. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories entered the competition and modeled the experimental device using both the WEC-Sim and FAST numerical modeling tools. This paper describes the numerical methods usedto model the device and presents the numerical modeling results. The numerical results are also compared to the experimental results provided by COER at the completion of the competition.