Standard Presentation (12 minutes) Australian Marine Sciences Association 2025 Conference

Wave-farm Impacts on the Wave Characteristics: a case study (120588)

Thi Thuy Dung Nguyen 1 , Xiao Hua Wang 1 , Van Tuan Nguyen 2
  1. UNSW Canberra, Melba, ACT, Australia
  2. Department of Physical Oceanography, Institute of Oceanography, Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa, Vietnam

The structured-grid Simulating WAves Nearshore (SWAN) model (~450 m and ~35 m resolution) assessed the impact of five Wave Dragon WECs on wave conditions and wave resources in Vung Tron, a case study from Vietnam's wave-resource research. Four scenarios were considered: a baseline scenario (no wave farm) and three wave farm scenarios with installations at water depths of 25 m, 30 m, and 35 m. Each scenario was analyzed under two periods: over a seven-year period from 2010 to 2016 and during the passage of Tropical Depression Wilma (9 am - 12 pm on the 6th November 2013. While wave period did not differ significantly in the two periods, significant wave height and wave power decreased substantially. Wave farms caused a notable decline in these wave parameters in its lee. The closest wave farm to the coast reduced the significant wave height most at the reference 10 m depth contour, but it had the lowest wave energy availability. However, there was no significant decline in significant wave height in the surf zone (water depth <5 m).  Additionally, the results along the 10 m depth contour showed the western and west-southern areas behind wave farms were the most sheltered by them.