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A free-floating wave energy converter (WEC) concept whose power take-off (PTO) system reacts against water inertia is investigated herein. The main focus is the impact of inclining the PTO direction on the system performance. The study is based on a numerical model whose formulation is first derived in detail. Hydrodynamics coefficients are obtained using the linear boundary element method package WAMIT. Verification of the model is provided prior to its use for a PTO parametric study and a multi-objective optimization based on a multi-linear regression method. It is found that inclining the direction of the PTO at around 50° to the vertical is highly beneficial for the WEC performance in that it provides a high capture width ratio over a broad region of the wave period range.

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This paper presents the first iteration design of the Flotant concept developed within the framework of a Cooperation Research Project funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. The Flotant concept is a hybrid concrete-plastic barge-type floating offshore substructure holding a 12MW wind turbine with the singularity of getting floatability by using plastic foam material fitted within the floater substructure. The INS12MW generic wind turbine, an upscaling exercise based on the DTU10MW reference wind turbine, is presented and simulated using open-source certified aeroelastic code. The floating platform and the mooring system are designed for two different sites, West of Barra and South East of Gran Canaria island. The principal dimensions are presented along with the hydrostatic and hydrodynamic properties of the floating system. A relevant subset of design load cases derived from International Electrotechnical Commission and Det Norske Veritas standards was simulated using an open-source aeroelastic code (NREL FAST) to check the coupled aero-hydro-elastic behaviour of the floating system and to generate the required load-matrix for the structural assessment of the different components. The evaluation of the design includes the seakeeping performance, the stability of the floating platform and the global performance analysis for the abovementioned sites. It demonstrates the technology developed within the Flotant project is feasible even in rough conditions like the ones in the West of Barra site.