On the modeling and simulation of onshore wave energy converter: multibody system for dynamic investigation supported by tribological and thermal analysis

Sea wave energy is being increasingly regarded as one of the most promising sources of renewable energy. This paper deals with the modeling and simulation of an onshore Wave Energy Converter (WEC) system designed by UMBRA GROUP SpA, world leader in the production of high-precision ball screws for aerospace, industrial and energy sectors. Several topics are addressed: starting from the multibody modeling, this paper goes more deeply into the mechanical efficiency evaluation of the ball screw in EHL lubrication regime, as well as the thermal characterization of the power take-off module (PTO) based on lumped-parameter and Finite Element Method (FEM) models. Finally, inverse Multibody Dynamic Analysis is performed, and the most interesting simulation results are collected to prove the effectiveness of the proposed approach.