Extreme events WEC design load cases

The purpose of this thesis is to reduce the computational time spent in order to evaluate the extreme events that will be crucial for the design process of the WEC. The analysis will be performed on IWSEC, considering the Environmental Condition of Pantelleria. In the first part is presented the theory of the probabilistic models useful for definition of the Environmental Contour. In the second part a method of analysis for the omnidirectional EC is chosen for the case study and the same process is repeated considering the direction of the wave. A comparison between the proposed method and the Standards is carried out. As the topology of the site is strongly influencing the EC, the data of the site is fitted with the best possible distribution, in order to increase accuracy. After the Contour is build up, the current methods of analysis are presented and a comparison between three different methods is performed. Using the combination of the RAO of the device and the wave spectrum, the worst possible scenario is chosen (Most Likely Extreme Response) and then simulated in OrcaFlex (which is a BEM software) and in Star CCM+ (in which the viscus effects are taken into consideration). At the end, a methodology is proposed in order to increase accuracy for the extreme event and at the same time decrease computational cost.