Empirical overtopping volume statistics at an OBREC

The results of a new experimental campaign on an Overtopping BReakwater for Energy Conversion (OBREC) device are presented. Previous 2D model tests carried out at Aalborg University (DK) made it possible to define new prediction methods that were used to design the first OBREC prototype breakwater which has been operating at Naples Harbor (Italy) since January 2016. The new tests were carried out at the Hydraulic Laboratory of the Catania University aiming to provide reliable methods for evaluating the energy extracted by the device. In particular, the new tests investigate the probability distribution of the individual overtopping volumes which enter the OBREC reservoir. The methods presented and validated here allow for a reliable estimate of the time distribution of the input flow, which along with the characteristics of the device, can be used to predict the energy produced by OBREC devices.