The TALOS wave energy converter is a novel point absorber-like wave energy converter (WEC), in which a unique power take-off (PTO) system is fully enclosed within the structure of the TALOS WEC (the hull), so to avoid direct contact with the harsh marine environment. This specific WEC is being investigated and developed at Lancaster University (UK), and the numerical modelling implementation of the TALOS wave energy converter is one of the main tasks of the Lancaster in-house time-domain analysis code.
The PTO system of TALOS WEC consists of a heavy mass ball within the structure, which is linked with a number of linear springs and dampers to the hull of TALOS WEC for wave energy conversion. Such an arrangement of the PTOs could in principle convert the energy from all motion modes of the wave energy converter, but it would also make the PTO essentially non-linear, regardless the actual PTO damper’s characteristics (linear or nonlinear). Therefore, a time domain analysis must be established for the TALOS WEC, which is the research work in this investigation.