Influence of a quadratic power take-off on the behaviour of a self-contained inertial referenced wave energy converter

This paper describes a non-linear power take-off system within a buoyant heaving wave energy converter. The power take-off uses the relative velocity between the main structure of the wave energy converter and an inertial referenced mass contained within its outer envelope. The power take-off consis...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Part M, Journal of engineering for the maritime environment Journal of engineering for the maritime environment, 2012-02, Vol.226 (1), p.15-22
Main Authors: Bailey, Helen, Bryden, Ian G
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Computer simulation
Converters
Direct power generation
Electrical equipment
Energy use
Inertial
Mathematical models
Nonlinearity
Numerical analysis
Optimization
Simulation
Takeoff
Wave power
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Summary:This paper describes a non-linear power take-off system within a buoyant heaving wave energy converter. The power take-off uses the relative velocity between the main structure of the wave energy converter and an inertial referenced mass contained within its outer envelope. The power take-off consists of a linear spring and a quadratic damper. In this paper the mathematical principles behind a working time domain simulation of a non-linear power take-off as applied to a relative motion inertial referenced wave energy converter are presented. The principles could, however, be applied to any differential motion system. The resulting numerical simulation is used to investigate the performance of a representative system in irregular waves, and the methodology necessary to determine optimal power extraction is discussed and applied. ‘Optimisation’ of the power take-off parameters is discussed with respect to limiting the overall relative motion and large accelerations, as indicators of the expected lifetime and the maintenance requirements of the wave energy converter.
ISSN:1475-0902
2041-3084
DOI:10.1177/1475090211425143