Wave energy potential and simulation on the Andaman Sea Coast of Thailand

Abstract

Ocean wave energy is an interesting renewable energy because it will never run out and can be available all the time. If the wave energy is to be used, then the feasibility study of localized wave potential has to be studied. This goal is to study the potential of waves in the Andaman Sea. The Simulating WAves Nearshore (SWAN) model was used to calculate the significant wave heights, which were validated with the measurement data of the Jason-2 satellite. The coastal area of Phuket and Phang Nga provinces are suitable locations for studying wave energy converters because they have high significant wave height. Moreover, this study used computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for the simulation of wave behavior in accordance with wave parameters from the SWAN model. The wave height simulated from CFD was validated with linear wave theory. The results found that it was in good agreement with linear wave theory. It can be applied for a simulation of the wave energy converter.