Publications

O Porto de Leixões, localizado na costa norte de Portugal, é um dos maiores do país, recebendo diariamentevários navios de grandes dimensões. Um dos principais postos de acostagem situa-se à entrada do porto e encontra-se sujeito à agitação marítima que é difratada pelo olhe principal de proteção do porto. Para avaliar dos movimentos induzidos no navio estacionado nesse posto de acostagem e as forças exercidas nas suas amarras e defensas pela agitação incidente, utilizou-se o modelo físico de Leixões, construído num dos tanques do LNEC. Neste modelo físico, encontra-se representada a envolvente do porto de Leixões, assim como a sua batimetria. O modelo do navio

An alternative to the energy matrix expansion, due to the increase of global electricity demand, is the renewable sea wave energy source, which has high energy potential. The Oscillating Water Column (OWC) converter is one of the most studied, although it is not yet used at commercial scale. Therefore, searching the optimal geometric configuration is fundamental to turn this device viable. This study proposes a numerical analysis of an onshore OWC for different slopes of chamber walls (from 40o to 90o) and equipped with a Wells turbine. Simulations of incompressible 2D flows are performed by means of the FLUENT® software, which is based on Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations. The k-

The most studied device used for extracting wave energy is the Oscillating Water Column (OWC). In general, numerical simulations of these cases by means of models based on Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes equations adopt the Volume of Fluid method to deal with the free surface flow which is considered incompressible in both water and air. The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of the compressibility effect on the air inside the OWC chamber by the FLUENT® numerical model. A methodology is implemented, taking into account both water and air flows incompressible, but, at every instant, a pressure condition is imposed on the top boundary of the chamber to consider the compressibility effect. This pressure condition is based on an analytical equation that considers the isentropic transformation of the air and effects of Wells and impulse turbines. Results of compressible and incompressible numerical models are compared. The amplification factor, the root mean square of air pressure inside the chamber and OWC efficiency in relation to incident wave period, wave height and turbine characteristic relation are analyzed. Results show that air compressibility effects can diminish the predicted OWC efficiency up to about 20% in both Wells and impulse turbines.

In this study, a numerical analysis of the performance of two Oscillating Water Column (OWC) wave energy converters, at different front and back wall slopes, was carried out. The first device had vertical front and back walls and the second one had its wall slopes of 40° in relation to the horizontal plane. The FLUENT® numerical model, which is based on the Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations, was used. The Volume of Fluid (VoF) method was employed to take into account free surface flows. The case study comprised a 10 m deep flume with an onshore OWC at its end, equipped with a Wells turbine. A 2D hydrodynamic mathematical model was employed and a 3D air pressure effect inside the OWC air-chamber was considered. Analyses of the hydrodynamics behavior, fluid-structure interaction outside (run-up/down, reflected waves) and inside the chamber (free surface elevation, sloshing) and energy distribution (pneumatic extracted energy, reflected wave energy and energy losses) were conducted. Results showed that the device with inclined walls had the best efficiency in comparison with the other one. However, the latter showed lower variation in efficiency in the wave period range than the former.

The main objective of this study is to investigate differences of random incident waves from regular ones in performance of wave energy converters (WEC). A numerical analysis of an onshore oscillating water column (OWC) WEC is carried out by means of the FLUENT® software, which is based on Reynolds - Averaged Navier-Stokes equations. Analyses of the efficiency of an onshore OWC device with similar characteristics of the Pico

Atualmente, mais importante que assegurar a resistência de um aglomerado urbano a um eventual invasor, importa garantir a sobrevivência a catástrofes naturais das infraestruturas críticas que garantem a salubridade das condições de vida nesse aglomerado, a mobilidade dos habitantes e o abastecimento de bens essenciais. Em rigor, face ao carater aleatório destas solicitações, pretende-se que, uma vez terminadas essas solicitações extremas, eventuais estragos causados pelas mesmas não impeçam o restabelecimento, em tempo útil, das atividades normais da população. Nesta comunicação apresentam-se ferramentas e procedimentos para avaliação do risco associado a infraestruturas críticas com um viés para o controlo de cheias urbanas e de infraestruturas de transporte marítimo.

The current program of Systematic Observation of Maritime Works (OSOM+), under development at the National Laboratory for Civil Engineering (LNEC), is essentially applied to rubble mound breakwaters. The OSOM

HIDRALERTA is a forecast and early warning system for coastal and port regions capable of predicting emergency situations, as well as carrying out risk assessment. The system concentrates on evaluating wave overtopping and flooding scenarios. It uses offshore sea-wave and wind forecast data, as well as tide data, as input to determine wave overtopping at specific locations. The calculation of the mean overtopping discharge over a structure is made through artificial neural network (ANN) tools and/or empirical formulae, which are able to define the spatial distribution of the flow behind the structure.The HIDRALERTA system is composed of four modules developed in Open Source Web Technology, mainly using the Python Language. The Warning System can be configured and adapted for specific scenarios. The system has been successfully tested for the Port and Bay of Praia da Vitória, Terceira Island, Azores, Portugal, and is now under development and being implemented at the ports of Madalena do Pico and S. Roque do Pico.This paper describes the work carried out to date on the system and its application to these two ports in the Pico Island, Azores.

A set of scale-model tests carried out to enlarge the range of wave steepness values analysed in run-up, overtopping and armour layer stability studies, focusing on oblique extreme wave conditions and on their effects on a gentler slope breakwater

Mechanical constraints have a non-negligible influence in the motion of oscillating wave surge converter (OWSC) devices. The key novelty of this paper is a numerical simulation tool for OWSCs that does not neglect or significantly compromise mechanical constraints such as hydraulic power take-off (PTO) system, revolute joints and frictional contacts among components. The paper is aimed at presenting the key components of the numerical simulation tool and at validating it with laboratory data featuring an OWSC with mechanical constraints under regular and irregular waves. It is based on the implementation of the multibody solver of Project Chrono under the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) model of DualSPHysics, where the SPH solver resolves the interaction between wave and flap and the multibody solver resolves the interaction between flap and mechanical constraints. Comparison between numerical results and experimental data show that the numerical simulation tool properly predicts the dynamics of the OWSC. Furthermore, in what concerns hydrodynamics of the near-flap flow, the computed and measured free-surface elevations and phase-averaged flow field show reasonable agreement. Once properly validated, the numerical simulation tool is then applied to study the influence of several mechanical constraints, PTO damping characteristics and flap inertia on the hydrodynamic of the OWSC. The viability of OWSC design solutions based on the developed numerical simulation tool is emphasised, in view of its performance in the test cases to which it was subjected.

Nowadays, renewable energy is a topic widely discussed in scientific community. Specifically wave energy attracts attention because it has a high energy potential distributed throughout the planet. Oscillating Water Column (OWC) wave energy converter is one of the most studied devices that have promising perspectives to be installed commercially. This study aims investigating the influence of chamber sizes and turbine characteristics dimensions of an OWC device located at the southern Brazilian coast is carried out. Numerical simulations for incident waves with period T = 7 s and 10 s and height H = 1.5 m, by using the FLUENT® model, based on the finite volume method (VFM) are carried out. Efficiencies for different chamber sizes and Wells turbine characteristic relations (kt) in each incident wave are determined. The highest efficiencies were obtained by a chamber with 5 x 5 m and kt = 530 Pa.s/m³ in the case of an incident wave with T = 7s (52%), and 30 x 30 m and kt = 15 Pa.s/m³ at T = 10s (65%).

Port terminals downtimes lead to large economic losses and largely affect the port

This paper describes the physical model, experimental setup and tests performed to study the motions and forces of a ship moored to the pier A at the Leixões oil terminal, following the breakwater

HIDRALERTA is a forecast, early warning and risk assessment system for port and coastal areas that uses measurements and estimates of sea-waves and water levels to evaluate overtopping/flooding events. The calculation of the mean overtopping discharge over a maritime structure is performed through artificial neural network-based tools and/or empirical formulae. The system is developed in open source software, mainly using the Python language. This paper presents the application of HIDRALERTA system to reproduce the hurricane Lorenzo conditions and impacts at Lajes das Flores port on October 2nd 2019, the most affected port in Azores. This hurricane was regarded as the strongest storm to hit Azores in 20 years. The system predicted the expected results for the hurricane wave characteristics, as well as overtopping discharge volumes. Further validation still need to be improved with the collaboration of the local authorities and the use of historical data.

Numerical models are useful tools to predict the effects of storms in coastal areas. The objective of this work was to simulate the effects of storms in São Pedro de Moel beach by using XBeach. The nearshore sea state was obtained by propagating offshore conditions using the SWAN model. The XBeach model was divided into two setups to analyse overtopping events and coastal evolution. Sensibility tests, calibration, and validation, using information from different storms, were performed for the different setups. The results from the overtopping simulation were compared against results from an empirical formula. The comparison showed lower values obtained with the empirical formula. The coastal evolution run point out to the necessity of having better field data before and after storms to improve the model setting and accuracy.

The assessment of damage evolution in scale model tests of rubble-mound breakwaters can be achieved by comparing eroded depths and volumes between consecutive surveys. This paper focuses on damage evolution of a model of a rubble-mound breakwater and on the novelty of the non-intrusive survey methodologies such as laser scanning and Time of Flight (ToF) techniques, based on point clouds, enabling the extraction of profiles and the calculation of eroded depths and eroded volumes. The final objective of this work is to evaluate the applicability of the estimation the number of displaced armour units, using a non-dimensional damage parameter based on the calculated eroded volume.The paper will also describe the experiments conducted under the RODBreak, a project sponsored by the HYDRALAB+ Transnational Access Program, in which a stretch of a rubble-mound breakwater was built at the wave-current basin of the Leibniz University Hannover (LUH) to assess the structure behavior. Four scan surveys were conducted using a Faro Focus 3D laser scan, as well as a ToF sensor. Those surveys were carried out before and after two test series, in order to evaluate the eroded volume and profile evolution.

Neste trabalho é efetuada a validação do protótipo To-SEAlert para o porto da Ericeira. Para a validação dos resultados do modelo SWAN foram utilizados os dados de duas boias situadas ao largo da Nazaré e para a validação das previsões do sistema de cálculo do grau de risco foram simuladas as depressões Elsa e Fabien (ocorridas em dezembro de 2019) e que foram responsáveis por fortes danos na cabeça do molhe do porto da Ericeira. Verificou-se uma boa concordância entre os dados das boias e os resultados do modelo SWAN, tendo no entanto o modelo reproduzido melhor a direção média e a altura significativa do que o período de pico. Relativamente aos valores de galgamento, os resultados obtidos na simulação das depressões Elsa e Fabien estiveram em concordância com os valores referidos na literatura como causadores de danos nas estruturas.

This work aims to determine the exploitable wave energy resource at six potential sites, located in the Azores, Madeira and Sines breakwater city harbours. For that purpose, the thirdgeneration wave model SWAN is used to estimate the sea-wave conditions over the last 40 years. Boundary conditions of the sea states and wind fields are provided by the climate reanalysis datasets (ERA5). Using those results as inputs to the SWAN model, the sea-states were propagated shoreward, in order to estimate and analyse the wave climate conditions in the regions of interest. By combining the average energy flux per unit-length of wave front and the probability of occurrence of each sea state, the average exploitable annual energy per unit length of wave crest can be computed. The variability of this energy flux is described, since it is of fundamental importance for the efficiency of the Wave Energy Converters (WEC).

Former investigations on wave run-up and overtopping of (impermeable and permeable) coastal structures aimed at quantifying the influence of oblique waves on mean overtopping discharge, water layer thickness and velocities by developing empirical formulas of a reduction factor for wave obliquity,

In 2017, the RODBreak experiment was conducted. The experiment aimed at characterizing wave run-up, overtopping and damage in rubble-mound breakwaters. The reason for these experiments was the huge impact that climate can have on maritime structures, particularly in rubble mound breakwaters. In fact, the forecast sea level rise associated with more frequent and severe storms will have consequences either on the increase of wave runup, wave overtopping or on damage on existent structures since they were not design for those extreme values. However, for those climate change scenarios, little is known about the actual failure probability of such structures.Within this framework, a stretch of a rubble-mound breakwater was built in a wave basin. Under extreme wave conditions, with different incident wave angles (from 40° to 90°), a total of 49 tests were performed. Each test had different testing parameters, such as significant wave height (Hs), peak period (Tp) and wave direction. Also, for each test, different types of measurements were considered. Incident sea waves were measured with 3 arrays of 6 acoustic wave probes each as well as with isolated acoustic wave probes and 5 Acoustic Doppler Velocimeters (ADV

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