Control law design for the air-turbine-generator set of a fully submerged 1.5 MW mWave prototype. Part 2: Experimental validation

A.A.D. Carrelhas, L.M.C. Gato, A.F.O. Falcão and J.C.C. Henriques

Renewable Energy, 2021, vol. 171, issue C, 1002-1013

Abstract: A fully-submerged bottom-standing 1.5 MW wave energy converter (WEC) equipped with a membrane-pump system is being developed for installation at a test site off the coast of Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK. The system comprises several flexible-membrane air-cells that are compressed and sucked by the action of the waves, a system of rectifying valves, low-pressure and high-pressure ducts and a unidirectional air turbine that drives an electrical generator. This two-part paper reports the design and testing of an effective control law to be implemented into the programmable logic controller of the membrane-pump turbine-generator set, allowing efficient and safe operation for the wave climate at the Pembrokeshire test-site. Part 2 of this paper focuses on the experimental investigation at the IST variable flow test rig of the real-time control algorithm described in Part 1 of this paper, using a 1:2.4 turbine scale model. Tests were performed for five sea-states and two turbine model average rotational speeds. Experimental results reveal that the control law proposed for the Pembrokeshire mWave turbine-generator set, based only on the turbine rotational speed and airflow density measurements, is effective and of a simple implementation. Fine fitting between the model testing results validates the performed scaling of the variables related to the time-dependent turbine-generator operation, as well as the numerical model of the system described in Part 1.

Keywords: Wave energy; Membrane-pump; Air turbine; Generator control; Adaptive control; Experimental modelling (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:renene:v:171:y:2021:i:c:p:1002-1013

DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2021.02.128

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