Wave Energy Converter’s Slack and Stiff Connection: Study of Absorbed Power in Irregular Waves

Tatiana Potapenko, Joseph Burchell, Sandra Eriksson and Irina Temiz
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Tatiana Potapenko: Department of Electrical Engineering, Uppsala University, 75103 Uppsala, Sweden
Joseph Burchell: Institute for Energy Systems, School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3DW, UK
Sandra Eriksson: Department of Electrical Engineering, Uppsala University, 75103 Uppsala, Sweden
Irina Temiz: Department of Electrical Engineering, Uppsala University, 75103 Uppsala, Sweden

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 23, 1-21

Abstract: Two different concepts of wave energy converter coupled to the novel C-GEN linear generator have been studied numerically, including the evaluation of different buoy sizes. The first concept has a slack connection between the buoy and the generator on the seabed. Another concept is based on a stiff connection between the buoy and the generator placed on an offshore platform. Three different approaches to calculate the damping force have been utilized within this study: the optimal damping coefficient, R -load, and R C -load. R -load is a model for the load applied to a grid-connected generator with passive rectification. R C -load is a model for a phase angle compensation applied to a system with active rectification. The radiation forces originating from the oscillatory motion of the buoy have been approximated using the transfer function in the frequency domain and the vector fitting algorithm. A comparison of the approximation methods is presented, and their accuracy has been evaluated. The advantage of the vector fitting method has been shown, especially for higher approximation orders which fit the transfer function with high accuracy. The study’s final results are shown in terms of the absorbed power for the sea states of March 2018 at Wave Hub, UK.

Keywords: point absorber; linear generator direct-drive; state-space method; vector fitting; fixed platform; C-GEN; optimal damping (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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